What Might Have Been
by sobekite99
Summary: An A/U of how things could have been for Declan and Charlotte.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jack hurried through the halls of the hospital, he kept his head down, afraid that someone would recognize him in spite of the surgical mask covering the lower half of his face. He took a quick glance at the waiting area and noted that Charlotte and Victoria were no longer there. He was relieved that there were two less people hanging around who might see him, especially two who were so closely connected to Conrad.

He ducked into Declan's room and anxiously hurried to the bed, nearly desperate to check on his little brother. The bed was empty, rumpled sheets and disconnected wires lay sprawled on the mattress where his brother should be.

"Jack..."

Jack whirled around to find Nolan slumped in a chair next to the door, his eyes were red like he'd been crying.

"Nolan where's my brother?" Jack hissed through clenched teeth, his heart hammering from the growing dread he felt.

"Jack...I..." Nolan stuttered.

Jack took one stride across the room and yanked the lanky man from the chair. "Where the hell is my little brother?" He practically yelled, no longer caring about who may come in and find him. "Is he dead?"

"No, Jack, no."Nolan quickly assured him. "He's not dead. I mean its serious but he's not dead I promise."

Jack let out a shaking breath and released Nolan's arm from the death grip he'd had on it. "Ok so if he's not dead then why isn't he here in his bed?"

Nolan led Jack to the chair he'd been sitting in and forced him to sit down. "There was a problem with Declan's heart. One of his arteries was damaged during the explosion. They flew in a special stent that's going to fix the damage. Declan's in surgery right now, he's in critical condition, but the doctor seemed pretty hopeful that he was going to make it."

Jack couldn't decide whether to be relieved or terrified at the news that right at that very moment his brother was having his heart operated on. He slumped down in the chair, suddenly more exhausted than he'd felt in a long time. "So the doctor thinks he's going to be fine?" He asked Nolan, needing to hear again that his brother was alive and was going to be alright.

Nolan nodded and tried to give Jack a smile. He failed unfortunately and it came out as more of a pained grimace. "There's more Jack... um... the doctor said that. He uh said that..." Nolan trailed off and cleared his throat, his eyes darted everywhere around the room but refused to meet Jack's.

"Nolan whatever it is just spit it out." Jack snapped.

Nolan nodded and cleared his throat one more time. "Declan's spine was crushed Jack. He's paralyzed from the waist down. The um, the doctor told me it's probably permanent but they'd need to do more tests to be sure. Declan doesn't know yet, the doctor was afraid that it would upset him and raise his blood pressure too much. They told him his body was in shock from the trauma."

The world seemed to swim out of focus and a wave of nausea hit Jack like a truck. He leaned forward until his head was practically between his knees and he forced himself to concentrate on just pulling air in and out of his lungs.

He refused to let himself imagine Declan confined to a wheelchair. He refused to think of the words paralyzed or handicapped. Too bad his brain didn't give a crap what he wasn't allowing it to think about because he could think of nothing except these things.

God his brother was about to become a teenage father. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't the two of them losing their parents enough? Or losing Amanda? Why did the universe keep kicking the Porter brothers?

But it wasn't the universe kicking them was it? Couldn't most of the terrible things that had happened to them be laid at the feet of one man? Conrad Grayson was the reason that Amanda was gone and he was the reason that Declan was in the hospital in the first place. He was hurt because Conrad had tried to kill Jack. He'd already taken Carl's mother from him and tonight he'd tried to take his father and almost succeeded in taking his uncle from him. Enough was enough and someone had to stop the psychopathic monster before he could hurt anyone else.

Jack shot out of his chair so quickly that he nearly smacked into Nolan. He paced the room a few times and then slammed his fists into Declan's empty bed. "No more. Tell Declan I'll see him soon." He growled and stalked out of the room, without bothering to pull the mask back onto his face.

Nolan stared after Jack unsure of whether or not he should try to stop his friend. The look Jack had had in his eyes before he'd slammed out of the room convinced Nolan not to attempt to stop him. Instead he pulled his phone from his pocket and closed the video that Declan had recorded for Jack, in case he didn't make it. He pushed the speed dial button for Emily and prayed she'd answer. His prayers were answered and she was on the other end of the line in just a few seconds.

"Ems we got a problem." He whispered.

"Are you at the hospital? How's Declan?" She replied.

"He's having open heart surgery as we speak. The doctor thinks he's going to pull through." Nolan relayed.

Emily sighed in relief, "Is Jack with you?"

Nolan swallowed. "That's the problem. He just stormed out of here and I'm pretty sure he's on his way to kill Conrad." Hastily Nolan explained everything that had happened to Declan and how Jack had reacted to finding out.

"I really think he's going to do something crazy Ems." Nolan finished up. "Ems? Ems? Emily?!" Nolan gave his phone a dirty look and disconnected the call after he realized Emily had run off to save the day without so much as a goodbye.

Not knowing what else to do Nolan slumped back into his chair and proceeded to wait for news on Declan and pray that Emily made it in time to stop Jack from ruining his life. It was going to be a long night he was sure.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Emily flew up the stairs two at a time despite the heels she was wearing. Her only thought was getting to Jack before he made a mistake that was going to send him to prison for the rest of his life.

"Jack stop!" She shouted as she grabbed the barrel of his gun pushing it up so it pointed to the ceiling.

Jack lowered the gun and stared at Emily with a mixture of anger and confusion. "What the hell are you doing here Emily? Nolan? He called you didn't he?" He spit angrily.

"Of course he called me. Jack what are you thinking? Killing Conrad? Here? You know if you do this you're going to get caught." She lectured.

Jack shook his head and pushed at her shoulder to indicate that he wanted her to leave. "Who cares if I get caught. As long as that bastards dead it doesn't matter." He argued.

"Doesn't matter? It doesn't matter if you go to jail for the rest of your life? What about your son? He just lost his mother and now you're going to take his father away from him too. And what about Declan? He's going to need you now more than ever." Emily snapped.

"Look I get it. I know how much you hate Conrad and I agree he deserves to go down, but not like this. I promise you Jack I will help you take him down. I'll help you take down the entire Grayson family. They'll all suffer for everything they've done, I swear. But not tonight, tonight you need to get back to the hospital and be with your brother." She finished and took a deep breath to calm herself after her tirade.

"Why do you even care Emily? Why would you help me take down your fiance's family? They're practically your family already. Don't tell me it's because you were such good friends with Amanda. I refuse to believe that you're willing to hurt Daniel out of loyalty to your friend." He sneered.

Emily sighed and stepped away from Jack, turning for a few seconds to watch as Conrad played the audience, ever the charming family man. When he began talking about Declan and what a tragedy it was that he'd been hurt Emily nearly took the gun and shot him herself. Instead of shooting Conrad she turned to Jack and whispered, "I'm doing this for my father."

Jack stared at her, confusion shining in his eyes. "Your father? What does he have to do with this?"

"My father was David Clarke. It's me Jack. I'm Amanda." She whispered.

Jack shook his head and backed away from Emily. "No you can't be. I was married to Amanda. She knew things, things only Amanda would know."

"Or things that the real Amanda told her. Come on look at me Jack. You know it's true, part of you has always known it was true." She insisted passionately.

Jack grabbed Emily by the shoulders and spun her around so that she was pressed up against a brick wall. His fingers bit into the flesh of her upper arm but she didn't struggle or flinch away from him. He stared into her eyes for almost a minute, his eyes flashing between disbelief, anger, and hope.

"Amanda?"

She nodded and gave him a tentative smile, hoping he wouldn't take it badly. Unfortunately he did. Letting out a snarl of disgust he pushed Emily harder into the wall and shook her roughly. "Why? Why are you lying about who you are? What are you getting out of this? Because of you I don't even know who I was married to. I don't know who the mother of my son was."

"She was Emily Thorne. She was my best friend." Emily stated simply, she didn't offer any more information and Jack didn't press.

"And as for what I'm doing here. I'm here to make sure that Conrad and Victoria Grayson, plus every other person who was involved in framing my father and hurting people we both love pay for what they've done."

Finally after nearly two years of the constant nagging feeling that Emily was lying to him, Jack felt nothing but raw passionate honesty from her. It reminded him of the little girl who'd been his best friend all those years ago. Standing in front of him was the real Amanda Clarke, the one he'd been convinced was gone forever.

Before he let himself over think what he was doing Jack pressed his lips to hers, so hard that her head hit the brick wall behind her with a dull thud. She didn't complain, but instead she ran her fingers up his back and twined her fingers in his hair, pulling it roughly as she pressed her body tightly against his. Jack lost himself in the kiss, forgetting for a minute about everything that had happened. It was when Emily reached to undo his jeans that Jack snapped back to reality.

Just as roughly as he began the kiss Jack ended it and roughly pushed himself away from Emily letting out a snarl of frustration. Jack turned to leave but stopped when Emily called his name. He turned to face her but cut her off before she could continue.

"Emily I have no idea what the hell that just was, but I can't think about it right now. I can't think about you really being Amanda. I have to get back to the hospital and be with my brother."

Emily nodded and didn't try to stop him when he turned his back on her and walked away. He stopped once before leaving but didn't turn back around. "Just promise me we'll make them suffer." He requested.

"I promise." She whispered.

When Jack got back to the hospital he walked straight to the ICU without bothering with the doctor's get up. Declan was going to be in the hospital for a while and Jack wasn't going to sneak in every time he wanted to see him. If Conrad wanted to come for him, let him try, but Jack wasn't going to hide while his brother needed him.

The ICU was silent and nearly empty given the late hour, but Jack found one nurse seated at the nurse's station. "Excuse me I'm here to see Declan Porter."

"Are you a relative?" She inquired.

Jack nodded, "I'm his older brother and his guardian."

"Oh Mr. Porter I'm very sorry about what happened to your brother, but I'm glad you weren't injured. You had a lot of people worried for you. Unfortunately it's way past visiting hours. I'm afraid you'll need to come back in the morning." The nurse explained.

"I know it's past visiting hours, but please I'm asking you to let me see my brother. I just don't want him to wake up alone." Jack plead.

The nurse considered Jack for a few seconds but finally nodded. "As long as you promise to stay in his room and keep quiet."

Jack nodded quickly and followed the nurse to his brother's room. Nolan was gone, having left when visiting hours ended. The sight of Declan was shocking. He was hooked up to a variety of machines, wires were stuck to his chest and head, and an I.V. snaked into the back of his hand. Declan's torso was immobilized in a metal brace that was obviously meant to keep his back from moving.

"Your brother is a very strong young man. I've seen people with far less serious injuries not make it, but your brother just kept on fighting." The nurse said warmly as she checked the readouts from the various machines.

"Is he ok? I mean the heart surgery was successful wasn't it? What about his spine, does the doctor know how bad it is?" Jack asked.

"You'll have to wait to ask him, he should be in to check on Declan in another hour or so. All I can tell you is that he's in critical, but stable condition right now. The doctor is hopeful that he's going to pull through."

Jack didn't like that the nurse wouldn't tell him everything, but he simply smiled at her as she left the room. He wasn't wiling to make her mad and get kicked out. Once the nurse was gone Jack pulled the vacant chair up to Declan's bed and sat down to wait.

A/N- I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far, thank you for reading my writing. I promise very soon Declan and Charlotte will actually be in the story that is about them. Hope everyone likes this chapter, I'll try to have the next on up in just a couple days. Reviews?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first thing Declan thought when he woke up was that he must still be buried in the wreckage of the Grayson Global building. His chest burned and felt as if a hundred pounds of rubble was crushing him making it a struggle to draw in even a small breath. His head felt heavy and pounded in time with his pulse and he figured his legs were pinned under something because he couldn't seem to move them.

He managed after a few seconds of trying to crack his eyes open a little, but shut them quickly when the light in the room sent his head pounding even harder.

There was a squeeze on his hand and he heard the scrape of a chair being moved.

"Declan? Declan it's Jack. Are you awake? Can you open your eyes?"

The questions fired in rapid succession and Declan's muddled brain couldn't keep up. He tried to tell Jack to slow down but all that came out was a raspy cough that sent flames ripping through his chest.

"Easy Declan, don't try to talk just yet. They had a tube down your throat during the surgery and the nurse said it was going to be sore for awhile." Jack explained, more slowly this time so it was easier to follow.

Declan tried once more to open his eyes, but did so more slowly this time and was able to get them open eventually. He took in the hospital room and suddenly remembered the heart surgery, he figured that was what was causing the fire racing through his chest and stomach.

Something however felt off, even wrong with the pain and it took awhile for Declan to put his finger on what it was. The burning pain coursing through his chest stopped abruptly just above his belly button, under that he couldn't feel anything. It was like his lower half was simply gone. The steady beeping of Declan's heart monitor picked up its pace and then began to race when Declan realized that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to get his legs to move.

"Hey Declan, calm down. You just had open heart surgery, you gotta stay calm." Jack instructed, keeping his voice steady and firm.

Declan made himself stop trying to move his legs and forced himself to suck in a lungful of air. "Jack? What's the matter with me?" He managed to rasp out.

"You had surgery to place the stent in your heart valve. The surgery went really well and the doctor thinks your heart is going to be just fine." Jack explained.

Declan shook his head and clumsily pushed the oxygen mask away from his face. "What's wrong with my legs? I can't move them, I can't even feel them."

The silence that followed his questions sent Declan's heart racing once again. "Answer me Jack." He ordered, his voice stronger this time.

"Dec, your um, your back was broken during the explosion. The doctors don't know how bad it is yet, they're going to do back surgery on you in a few days to stabilize your spine."

Declan swallowed and winced at the pain it caused in his parched throat. "Am I paralyzed Jack? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Jack ran a hand through Declan's hair and bent down so that he could look straight into his brother's eyes. "Yeah, but it might not be permanent ok? Try not to panic until we know for sure what's going on. Can you do that?"

Declan felt his eyes stinging as he fought back the urge to cry and the pain in his chest seemed to double making it nearly impossible to pull air into his lungs. He started trying to move his legs again and felt his heart hammering with panic when he found that he couldn't do so much as wiggle a toe.

Jack watched as Declan's already white face grew even paler and he began to fight to get in a breath. It was obvious Declan was having a panic attack, he began fighting against the back brace and his heart monitor began beeping a high pitched warning noise.

Within a few seconds of the monitor going off a nurse ran into the room and saw the state Declan was in. Without saying a word to Jack she ran from the room and was back in less than a minute with a syringe full of clear liquid. She injected the medicine into Declan's I.V. and soon Declan's breathing evened out, his heart rate slowed, and his eyes slid closed as the sedative took effect.

"What happened?" She asked once Declan was unconscious.

"He woke up and realized he couldn't feel his legs. I tried to break it to him gently, but he panicked. Maybe I shouldn't have told him, I don't want him hurting himself any worse than he already is." Jack replied.

The nurse nodded and gave a sympathetic smile down at Declan. "It's a common reaction when a patient finds out about a spinal cord injury. It may happen a few more times. I'll make sure to put a note in his chart and let the other ICU nurses know that he may need to be sedated again quickly. Try not to worry too much, he's obviously a very strong young man, he'll get through this, no matter what the outcome is." She encouraged kindly before giving Jack's arm a squeeze and leaving the room.

Jack sighed and sat back down in the chair he'd occupied since the previous night and waited once again for Declan to wake up. He'd almost managed to doze off when a knock on the door jerked him back to consciousness. He turned to find Emily standing in the doorway. Jack sighed and stood up.

"Look Emily I told you last night that I couldn't deal with this right now." He snapped.

Emily winced. "I know I'm not here to talk about us, or what happened last night. I brought Charlotte to see Declan and I wanted to see how he was doing myself. Also I wanted to let you know that Nolan was arrested last night after he left the hospital. The feds figured out that he released carrion."

Jack swallowed hard and cursed under his breath. He hated that Nolan was in trouble but he told himself there wasn't anything he could do for his friend and right then he had enough to concentrate on with Declan.

Before Jack could respond Charlotte hurried over and threw herself into Jack's arms. "Jack they told me Declan had heart surgery last night. He told me he was going to be fine. He promised." Charlotte cried, nearly hysterical.

Jack rubbed Charlotte's back and waited to speak until she was calmed down. "Jack what happened? Last night Declan told me he was going to be fine." She asked again.

"I don't know why Declan told you that. He hasn't really woken up enough yet for us to talk. Declan's heart was damaged during the explosion and the doctors had to put a device called a stent into the artery that was damaged, but the surgery went really well and the doctor thinks his heart is going to be fine." Jack explained.

Charlotte pulled away from Jack and gave him a hopeful look. "So he's going to be fine now right? I mean they fixed him?"

Jack pulled Charlotte over to the chairs in the visitor's lounge and sat down across from her. Emily sat beside Charlotte and held her younger sister's hand.

"Charlotte there's more. Declan's back was broken and his spinal cord was injured. He can't feel or move his legs. In a few days once he's recovered a bit from the heart surgery the doctors are going to do back surgery to try and stabilize his spine." Jack revealed.

Charlotte's mouth opened and closed a few times, but she didn't say anything. The tears which had just stopped started again although without the hysterics. "He can't walk?" She finally asked.

Jack shook his head. "Not right now, but hopefully the surgery will fix his back and he'll get better. Right now we just need to try and stay positive for Declan's sake."

Charlotte nodded and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "I can do that. Does Declan know?"

"I just told him a little while ago and he obviously didn't take it well. The nurse had to sedate him so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Hopefully he'll be a bit calmer when he wakes up again." Jack answered.

"Would you mind if I went and sat with him for awhile?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course. I actually need to run home and shower and check on Carl. Will you be ok if he wakes up before I'm back." Jack asked.

Charlotte nodded and hurried into Declan's room without a glance back at Jack or Emily.

"Jack I'm so sorry about Declan. If there's anything I can do just tell me. If you want me to fly in an expert in spinal cord injuries I can. I mean it, whatever you need, please just ask." Emily offered.

Jack's first impulse was to snap at Emily, to refuse her money which she seemed to think could solve every problem. But this wasn't about Jack and his feelings, it was about doing whatever he possibly could to get his little brother back on his feet. If that meant taking money from Emily then he'd do it gladly.

"Thank you. I'll talk to the surgeon and see if he can recommend anything to help." Jack accepted.

Emily nodded and gave Jack the smallest of smiles, obviously testing the waters of Jack's feelings. Jack wasn't ready to forgive her for lying to him but he also had more important things to worry about than the complicated relationship he had going on with Emily or rather Amanda. He gave her a small smile in return.

"So you want a ride home?" She asked.

"That'd be great thanks." He accepted.

As they walked beside each other out of the hospital Jack couldn't stop himself from thinking about the kiss they'd shared the night before.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Declan woke up for the second time it was a little easier to think, while the drugs were still making his mind muddy it wasn't quite so confused as before. When he opened his eyes he saw Charlotte sitting in the chair beside his bed. Her hand was linked with his, her head was resting on his mattress, and she was fast asleep.

Despite everything that was going on in his life at the moment he couldn't help but crack a small smile at how adorable she looked when she was out cold. He wondered if it was the pregnancy making her so tired. With that one thought he was pulled back down into that spiraling pit of panic that had gripped him when Jack had told him about his back. He was going to be a father and he might be spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. How was he supposed to be a good father if he couldn't even walk?

He heard his heart monitor begin to speed and he forced himself to take a breath and calm down before a nurse came in and sedated him again. He needed time to wrap his head around everything that had happened and he couldn't do that if he was unconscious.

He tried imagining what it would be like if the doctors couldn't fix his back. Not being able to walk, needing help from people to do simple tasks, he'd end up being a burden on his brother or Charlotte. That was assuming Charlotte would even want to be with him if he was crippled. He wouldn't blame her if she wanted nothing to do with him now.

The thought of Charlotte leaving him was enough to make it hard to breath again, especially when he realized that she'd be better off without him. He squeezed her hand without thinking about it and she instantly shot up, suddenly wide awake.

"Declan! You're awake!" She practically shouted. "Do you need anything? Want me to get a doctor or a nurse or..." She rambled, trailing off into silence.

Declan shook his head and forced himself to hide the smile he wanted to give her. "I'm ok. Where's Jack?"

Charlotte sat down again and reached to take Declan's hand, but he pulled his hand away before she could grab it. She frowned at his actions but didn't say anything. "He went home to shower and check on Carl. He told me to tell you he'll be back soon."

"So how are you feeling?" He asked.

Charlotte let out a small breath of laughter. "You just had a building fall on you and your heart operated on and you're asking me how I'm feeling?"

Declan nodded. "Yeah you're growing an entire person inside you right now." He pointed out.

"I guess that's true." She conceded. "I'm fine, just worried about you. Declan how could you not tell me that you were about to have your heart operated on? You told me the doctors told you that everything was going to be fine." She spit out her voice choked with tears.

"I know. I'm sorry I lied. The doctors weren't sure if the stent was going to arrive in time and if I didn't make it, well I didn't want the last time we saw each other to be sad. If I only got to see you one last time I wanted to see you with a smile on your face." Declan admitted.

Charlotte's tears increased at Declan's words and she leaned over and pressed her lips to his softly. "I'm so sorry Declan. This is all my fault. I lied to you about being with Daniel. If I hadn't lied you wouldn't have gone to Grayson Global, you wouldn't have been there. It's my fault." She sobbed.

Declan shook his head and reached a hand up to run through her hair shushing her while he did. "Hey you couldn't have known some psycho was going to blow up the building Charlotte. This isn't your fault."

Charlotte looked at him with tear filled eyes and opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a nursing knocking on the door and then stepping into the room.

"Mr. Porter you're awake!" She quipped cheerfully. "I'm sorry to interrupt but now that Declan is awake I need to check his vitals and change his bandages. Would you mind waiting in the visitor's lounge Miss Grayson?"

"Of course. Declan I'll be back soon." Charlotte promised before kissing Declan once more and hurrying from the room.

"Ok Declan I need to change the bandages on your incision. To do that I need to undo the back brace for just a little while. Its very important that you hold as still as you possibly can while I do this so that you don't injure your spinal cord any further. Do you think you can do that or should I give you a light sedative before we do this?"

"I can hold still, you don't have to knock me out." Declan assured her.

Declan concentrated on staring at a spot on the ceiling and breathing steadily as he listened to the buckles of the brace being undone. He took a deep breath of air once the constricting brace was loosened. "So how bad is my spine?" He asked as he felt the nurse begin to pull the tape and gauze away from his chest.

"I really don't know Declan. I'm sorry I wish I could give you some information, but I don't have any. But the neurosurgeon who is going to be doing the operation on your spine will be in soon to speak with you now that you're awake. He'll be able to answer some of your questions. Your cardiologist will also be here shortly to check on you and make sure that your heart is recovering well." The nurse finished speaking just as she finished taping the new gauze onto the incision and she quickly tightened the brace again.

Declan winced as the brace squeezed his ribs causing the burning fire to rush back through his chest. He was bitterly disappointed when the pain again just seemed to stop at his belly button, below that there was nothing.

Once she was finished with Declan the nurse began bustling around the room checking the various machines which were all attached to him in some way or another. "That girl loves you very much." She mused as she went about her job.

"How can you tell?" Declan asked.

"The way she looks at you, plus the fact that her mother had to practically drag her out of here yesterday." The nurse explained with a chuckle.

The only thing Declan could think in response to the nurses observations was that it would be so much easier if Charlotte didn't love him. Then she'd be free to find someone else, someone who wasn't broken like he was.

A/N- Hope that everyone who is reading this is enjoying it. Thank you again for reading my writing. Thank you very much to the couple of people who reviewed!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

On the morning of Declan's spinal surgery Charlotte arrived at the hospital at four a.m. Declan's surgery was scheduled to start at six and Charlotte was determined to spend every minute with him she could before he went under the knife for the second time in less than two weeks.

It had been eleven days since he'd been hurt and Charlotte had had a lot of time in the past eleven days to research spinal cord injuries. She was very much aware that the sooner the injury was treated the better the chances for recovery were. They'd been forced to wait eleven days to try and fix Declan's spine, it was time he'd needed to heal at least a little from the trauma of the heart injury. It worried Charlotte that they'd had to wait so long, but she was also glad they weren't risking Declan's life anymore than they had to. Almost losing Declan had shown Charlotte just how much she loved him. She hadn't even realized how deeply she felt for him until she was faced with the prospect of him being gone from her life. That was the only thing that mattered to her. If the surgery being delayed for eleven days meant that Declan would never walk again then she would gladly accept that if it meant keeping him alive and by her side.

Declan was still asleep when she snuck into his room early that morning, she took a few seconds to enjoy just looking at him while he slept. She knew as soon as he was awake he would be quiet and guarded like he'd been since he'd first woken up. He was pushing her away she knew, although she couldn't decide if he was doing it because he was scared about what was happening to him or if he hated her for her part in it happening in the first place.

She settled herself in the chair beside Declan's bed. The chair that she and Jack had taken turns inhabiting all day everyday since everything had happened. She placed her hand on Declan's thigh just above his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze to wake him up. When Declan continued sleeping on undisturbed Charlotte felt a jolt of horror seeing firsthand the fact that Declan couldn't feel her touching him. Nausea rippled through her stomach and she quickly pushed herself away from the bed and tried running to the bathroom that was attached to Declan's room. She couldn't make it that far and found herself throwing up into a trashcan only a few feet from Declan's bed.

"Charlotte?" Declan asked groggily. He'd been woken up by a retching noise and was surprised to find Charlotte hunkered down on the floor of his room throwing up into a trashcan. His first instinct was to jump out of bed and run to help her and it was like being punched in the gut when his body failed to respond. The helplessness he felt as he watched her being sick, but couldn't go to her was the worst thing he'd ever felt in his life. At that moment he thought he'd rather die on the operating table than wake up to find out his situation was permanent.

After a minute or so Charlotte was finished but she stayed huddled on the floor breathing heavily. "Charlotte are you alright?" He asked.

Charlotte nodded and looked up to give him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry Declan. I was going to wake you up a lot more gently than that."

She pulled herself to her feet and hurried into the bathroom to rinse out her mouth, glad to find a small bottle of mouth wash at the sink along with the other hospital toiletries. When she came out of the bathroom she was shocked to see that tears were running down Declan's cheeks. He'd turned his head to face the wall but she could still see the tears glistening in the early morning light. She was shocked because this was the first time she'd seen him cry since he'd been hurt, hell, this was the first time she'd seem him show anything besides stoic disinterest.

"Declan? Oh Declan." She whimpered and hurried to his side. She ran a hand across his cheek and wiped away the tears. "It's alright Declan I'm here." She whispered as she pressed her forehead to his. He brought a hand up and wrapped it in her hair, holding her tightly to him as they both cried. Finally they were both quiet and Charlotte sat up but stayed sitting on the side of the bed.

"Are you alright? You threw up." Declan whispered.

She nodded and gave him a small laugh. "Yeah I guess this is that morning sickness stuff I've heard about huh?"

"I guess so." He agreed. "Do you feel better now?"

"Well my stomach feels better yes, as for everything else, not really. I'm so scared about you having surgery again." She admitted.

Just like that she could see Declan retreating back into the closed off shell he'd been all week. "Scared you're going to find out later that you're stuck with a cripple?" He asked bitterly.

"Declan Porter how can you even say that to me? That is not it at all, and don't call yourself a cripple." She shouted. She'd been being understanding of his attitude so far, she figured with everything he was going through he had a right to be depressed, but this was too much.

"Well aren't you scared of that? I mean you can't tell me you haven't been thinking about how you can dump a guy in a wheelchair without looking like a total bitch!" He shouted back.

"Is that what you think of me Declan? That I would leave the man I love, who is also by the way in case you've forgotten, the father of my child, because he can't walk? It never even crossed my mind that I would leave you, although now it is. I mean you obviously don't think very much of me if that's what you think I would do. Is that what you would do Declan? If the situation was reversed and I was in that bed would you leave me?" She yelled.

Declan shook his head hard. "No of course not Charlotte. I would never do that."

"But you think I would?" She cried.

Declan was quiet for a long time. Charlotte simply stood in front of him and waited, hoping that he had a good explanation for why he seemed to think she was such a shallow horrible person. He finally let a shaky breath and rubbed a hand over his face before he spoke.

"You just don't know what this is like Charlotte. It's not just that I can't move my legs, it's like half my body is gone. I can't move. I couldn't... Charlotte I couldn't even get out of this bed to help you when you were sick. I just had to lay here and watch you suffer and I couldn't do a damn thing to help. I just don't know if I can live like this. It's too much, I hate myself like this. How could you not hate me too?"

Charlotte rushed back to sit on Declan's bed where she'd been before. She grabbed his hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze. "Dec I can't begin to know what this is like for you. I know it must be terrifying and frustrating and probably a million other things that I can't even imagine. But I need you to understand one thing. You will always be Declan to me. Whether you're walking, or in a wheelchair, or one of those cartoon floaty heads in a jar like on that stupid show you like, I will always feel exactly the same about you and that is head over heels in love."

Declan met her eyes and gave her a hopeful look. "Really?"

She nodded. "Of course. Declan when I saw them bring you out of that building I thought you were going to die and it was the worst thing I've ever felt. I'm just so grateful to still have you with me and with our baby." She pulled his hand over to her stomach and pressed his palm against her still for the time being flat belly. "I need you and our baby needs their father, no matter what ok?"

Two tears slid down Declan's cheek, but for the first time in days Charlotte could see hope in his eyes again. His fingers pressed lightly into her stomach and his face lit up with a genuine smile. "I love you Charlotte Clarke."

"I love you too Declan Porter and I would lean over and kiss you to show you how much, but I just threw up and I don't have a tooth brush." She replied with a giggle as she leaned down to hug him.

"I think I'm good without a kiss. Oh and Futurama is not stupid by the way!" He insisted.

A/N- So I realize this chapter was just unbelievably fluffy and corny without a whole lot of plot development, but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. I promise the next chapter will see the story moving forward more. Thank you again for reading and a big thanks to the people who have reviewed, I'm glad to know there are people enjoying this story.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Jack's leg bounced nervously up and down as he sat in the surgical waiting room. He stole another glance down at his watch and was frustrated to see that only twenty minutes had passed since he'd last checked it. His eyes flicked up and just happened to land on Daniel and Emily holding hands in the chairs across from him. His hand tightened into white knuckled fists as he watched Grayson's hand wrapped around Emily's. He felt better now knowing that Emily was simply using Daniel as a means to an end in her revenge plot. He'd never understood why someone like her could fall in love with a man as vapid and shallow as Daniel Grayson. At least things between them made sense to Jack now, even if he didn't like the reasons behind it.

He appreciated that Emily wanted to be there for Declan and Charlotte but he hated that Daniel had come to the hospital with her. It was bad enough that Victoria had shown up to be with Charlotte, he really didn't want Daniel there as well. If Conrad showed up he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop himself for beating the man to within an inch of his life for putting his brother in this situation. Jack forced his thoughts away from the Graysons and back onto his brother.

True to her word Emily had flown in one of the top neurosurgeons in the world to operate on Declan. Before the surgery he'd told Jack to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, which Jack was trying to do. It would be terrible to find out that Declan was never going to walk again, but if that was the case Jack was going to do everything in his power to make sure his brother adapted and thrived no matter what.

When the surgeon stepped into the room fifteen minutes later Jack jumped to his feet. "Mr. Porter, would you like to come with me?" The surgeon asked and motioned for Jack to follow him back through the restricted doors that led to the surgical area. Jack's hopes plummeted as the surgeon led him away from the group of people in the waiting room. If the news had been good Jack figured he would have told everyone at the same time. The doctor led him to a small room which contained a table and a few chairs and gestured for Jack to have a seat. Once the surgeon was seated across from Jack he cleared his throat before he began.

"Mr. Porter your brother is in recovery and seems to be doing well, his vitals are all stable and his blood pressure remained constant throughout the operation." The surgeon began.

Jack let out a sigh of relief, at least he knew his brother was alive, that was most important. "What about his back? I mean is his spine alright or..." He trailed off.

"Honestly Mr. Porter it's not as good as we hoped for, but it's also not as bad as it could have been. Your brother suffered two broken vertebrae at the thoracic level of his spinal column. We were able to repair the broken bones although we were forced to put three screws in his back to help knit the bones back together. But I think they should heal cleanly and shouldn't cause him an undo amount of residual pain. The bad news is that there was significant damage to his spinal cord, it was partially severed."

Jack sucked in a breath and held it for a second while he absorbed the doctor's words. He'd done enough internet reading the last few days to know that spinal cords didn't heal once they were hurt. Declan's spinal cord being partially severed meant that whatever paralysis it caused was going to be permanent.

"I know this is a terrible blow, but like I said before the news isn't as bad as it could be. His injury is at the T12 level of his spine which is fairly low. The lower the injury is the more function the patient retains. At the level of Declan's injury and coupled with the fact that his injury is incomplete we can expect Declan to regain some limited use of his legs, given enough time and physical therapy." The doctor continued.

"Limited use, what does that mean?" Jack asked.

"Well I can't guarantee anything but usually patients with this level of injury are able to sit up unassisted, which I know sounds like a small thing but trust me when it comes to mobility it will make a world of difference. It may also be possible at some point for Declan to use leg braces and crutches to move around at least part of the time."

"So he's going to be in a wheelchair the rest of the time right? That's what you're telling me?" Jack interrupted.

The surgeon nodded and looked sympathetic. "Yes as things look right now a wheelchair is going to be your brother's primary means of mobility from now on. But this doesn't mean his life is over I promise. He's lucky that his injury was low enough to leave him complete use of his arms and hands, he'll be able to be completely independent once he's adjusted."

Jack wiped the tears from his eyes and took another deep breath, trying his best to wrap his head around everything.

"Do you need a minute Mr. Porter or should I go on?" The surgeon asked.

"No I'm fine keep going. What else do I need to know?" Jack insisted, he just wanted to get this conversation over with so he could start processing everything.

"Well the other things that are going to be affected by his level of paralysis are a bit more sensitive in nature. It's likely that Declan will no longer have any bladder or bowel function, which means he'll need to be taught how to deal with his bathroom needs in new ways. These are things that they'll teach him in rehab and once his body has adjusted they shouldn't cause much interference to his daily life. Declan's uh, sexual function will probably be impaired as well. Sex may be possible, but at this point he probably will not be able to father children naturally." The doctor reached across the table to give Jack's arm a sympathetic squeeze.

"I know this is a lot to take in and I'm very sorry I wasn't able to do more, but I promise that this isn't the end of your brother's life. Things will be very hard for awhile, he'll go through a grieving process which could last for quite some time. But eventually he'll accept his new reality and move on with his life. I've been doing this for a long time and I promise you he will be alright in the long run."

Jack nodded at the doctor's words but couldn't seem to work up the energy to speak. He felt like he was being sucked into a whirlpool of anger and sadness that he couldn't seem to pull himself out of. If he felt this bad he couldn't imagine how Declan was going to feel when he found out. Jack tried to imagine that it was him in his brother's position, lying in a hospital bed and facing the reality that he was going to be handicapped for the rest of his life. He couldn't even begin to imagine it.

"Alright well I'm going to go check on your brother again and I'll have a nurse come out and get you when you can come back to see him. I am sorry that I didn't have better news for you." The surgeon finished and left the room.

Jack allowed himself ten minutes to cry and grieve for everything that his brother had lost. After that he vowed to himself to be strong from there on out. He had so many people who needed him to be strong. Carl, Declan, Charlotte, his unborn niece or nephew, even Emily needed him to be strong no matter what her hard exterior said to the contrary. He'd spent enough time being pointlessly angry at Conrad Grayson, it was time to take that anger and focus it the way Emily had. Starting from right then he promised himself he was going to help her to get revenge on the Graysons.

Feeling more in control than he had since the bomb had gone off in Grayson Global Jack returned to the waiting room to deliver the news to Charlotte and the others.

"So that's it then? There isn't anything else they can do?" Victoria asked after Jack finished speaking.

"No there isn't. Someday maybe if a cure for spinal cord injuries is found, but for right now this is the reality of the situation." Jack answered.

Charlotte surprisingly had remained quiet as Jack had explained what the surgeon had told him. When she finally did raise her head and met Jack's eyes hers were dry and full of strength. "But he's out of danger right? I mean he's going to live right?"

Jack nodded emphatically. "He's stable and the surgeon said his blood pressure was excellent during the surgery. He said Declan was doing great in that regard."

Charlotte released the breath she'd been holding. "Good, that's the most important thing."

"Jack if there's anything we can do please just ask. The whole Grayson family is here for you and Declan." Victoria said her voice dripping with compassion.

Jack nearly gagged at how sickly sweet Victoria sounded. He didn't know if she was aware that Conrad was behind the bombing but he wouldn't be surprised if she knew.

"Darling why don't we go get you something to eat while Declan is in recovery?" Victoria suggested to Charlotte.

"No I want to stay here until I can see Declan." Charlotte protested.

"You should go eat Charlotte, it's going to be awhile before they let anyone besides me back there." Jack told her.

"Don't forget you're eating for two now, you've got to keep your strength up." Victoria added.

Charlotte finally nodded and stood up to head to the cafeteria.

"Why don't we all go get something to eat while there's time." Daniel said standing up and pulling Emily with him.

"Emily do you mind if I talk to you in private for a minute?" Jack requested before they left the room.

"I'll meet you downstairs alright?" Emily said to Daniel before planting a quick kiss on his lips. Daniel gave Jack a wary look but didn't protest and left with his mother and sister.

"I'm so sorry that the surgeon I flew in couldn't do more. Maybe if I had found a different doctor it would have made a difference." Emily said regretfully.

"No don't beat yourself up about this. His spine was partially severed Emily, there isn't anyone on the planet who can fix that. I wanted to talk to you about something else actually."

"Alright what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"I want in. On the plan to take down the Graysons, I want to help and I want to know everything. I think after what they've done to my family I have just as much right to revenge as you do."

Emily's first instinct was to tell Jack absolutely not, that she would get revenge for both of them and he was going to stay out of it. Then she thought about Amanda lying in her arms in that cold water. She thought of smiley little Carl who would never know his mother or how much she'd loved him and she thought of Declan lying cut up and permanently paralyzed in this very hospital. How could she deny Jack the chance to seek vengeance for all of that pain that the Graysons had caused. He had just as much right to want revenge as she did. So finally she just nodded.

"Okay you can help, but you have to know that this could be dangerous." She warned.

"Oh trust me I'm well aware of how dangerous getting mixed up with the Graysons is." Jack sneered. "I want you to do one more thing for me Emily, I want you to tell Declan and Charlotte everything. Who you are, what you're planning to do, and why."

This request Emily did protest. "No Jack, I can't get them anymore involved than they already are. Plus this is Charlotte's mother and father we're talking about what if she tells them our plans?"

"Emily they deserve to know. Charlotte has a right to know who killed her real father and you can't tell me that Declan doesn't have a right to know who is responsible for putting him into a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Trust me Charlotte isn't going to help the people who hurt Declan and killed her father, you should have more faith in your sister than that." Jack scolded.

"You owe me this Amanda." Jack added pointedly.

Emily nodded. "You're right they deserve to know the truth. Let me know when you think Declan is ready to hear the truth and I'll tell them both everything."

"Mr. Porter your brother is awake. You can come back for a few minutes if you'd like." A nurse interrupted.

Jack nodded and stood to follow the nurse. "Thank you Emily." He said before disappearing behind the surgical unit's doors.

"You're welcome Jack." She whispered but he was already gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Declan opened his eyes and groaned. "I feel like we just did this." He joked as he saw Jack lean over him in concern.

"Yeah you've really got to knock this surgery crap off." Jack returned and gave Declan a tight smile.

Declan despite being groggy from the anesthetic could see pain and pity hidden behind that smile and he knew that the news Jack was about to give him wasn't going to be good.

"So the surgery didn't work huh?" He asked, deciding he'd rather find out right away.

Jack grimaced and took Declan's hand in his own. "I'm sorry Dec."

Declan felt his throat tighten up and he had to swallow a few times before he could speak. "So how bad is it?"

Jack sighed deeply and gathered the courage to tell his little brother that he was never going to walk again.

 **Four months later**

"Hey handsome." Charlotte gushed as she rushed across the weight room of the rehab facility to where Declan was lifting weights. Charlotte felt her heart flutter as she watched him lifting without a shirt on. He'd been in shape before he'd been hurt but now his arm and ab muscles were unbelievable and she couldn't help but stare in appreciation.

He let the weights drop with a slight clang and wiped his face with a towel just before Charlotte reached him and pressed a kiss to his lips. Declan returned the kiss and pulled Charlotte down so that she was sitting on his lap.

"No Declan I'm way too fat and heavy to sit on you." She protested and struggled to stand up.

"Char you're barely showing and besides you know I can't feel you sitting on me anyway right?" He quipped.

Charlotte rolled her eyes but stopped trying to get up and instead began kissing him again. She ran a hand up his forearm and then wrapped her fingers around his bicep and gave it a squeeze. She let out a pur of pleasure as she felt the rock hard muscle.

"I can't believe how buff your arms have gotten. It's really sexy." She whispered into his ear and then playfully bit his earlobe.

Declan laughed, "If I'd have known you had such a thing for arms I'd have started working out a long time ago."

Charlotte giggled and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his jaw and placed a slow kiss on the pulse point of his neck. He groaned with pleasure and pulled her tighter into his arms. "You're in a good mood today." He whispered into her ear.

"I think it's being pregnant, I read that women can get very, uh, aroused during the second trimester." She replied.

"Charlotte is that rich girl speak for telling me you're horny?" He whispered into her ear.

"It is. Maybe we should go back to your room and see if we can do something about it huh?" She asked and nibbled at his neck again.

Underneath her she could feel Declan's muscles tense up and he pulled his arms from around her and gripped the wheels of his chair tightly. "I'm pretty tired from working out and from therapy this morning Charlotte." He mumbled.

Charlotte knew that him being tired was just an excuse, but she didn't press him. She knew he was scared of getting physical with her since he'd been paralzyed. She'd done a lot of reading on sex after spinal cord injuries and she knew that Declan had discussed it with his counselor in the rehab center, but so far they hadn't talked about it together. She didn't push him though and hoped he'd talk to her when he was ready.

She turned so that she was no longer twisted around and leaned back against Declan's chest, their heads nearly touching. His hands left the wheels of his chair and settled on her newly rounded belly. "So how's our little guy doing?"

"Or little girl." Charlotte pointed out.

"Or little girl." He agreed. "So how is he or she doing today?"

"Doing good. I think maybe I felt them kick last night, but I'm not sure." She revealed.

"Wow I can't believe the baby is getting big enough to kick." He commented sounding amazed.

"I still can't believe we're having a baby at all." Charlotte countered.

Declan leaned his chin against her shoulder and gave her another slight squeeze. "Are you upset about it?" He asked sounding worried.

"No! Of course not. I just never really planned on having kids at all, let alone at eighteen. But I wouldn't change it for anything I promise." She assured him.

" I wouldn't change it either, especially now." He said under his breath.

"Why especially now?" She asked turning slightly so she could see his face.

His face flushed red and he looked across the gym instead of at Charlotte. "It's just well the doctor said I probably can't have kids anymore so I guess it's good we've already got one on the way right?"

This was the most honest Declan had been with Charlotte about his paralysis since he'd been injured and she took it as a good sign that he was starting to talk about things with her. She turned sideways again and put a hand to Declan's cheek. He met her eyes briefly before quickly looking away again, he obviously felt humiliated.

"Hey Declan it's ok. Look at me please." She requested. He let out an unsteady breath but finally looked at her and held her gaze. "Declan if we can't have anymore kids it's alright. I think we've probably got enough going on with just one for now don't you? Plus if we ever want more we can adopt, just think of how many kids out there need homes."

"What if I'm not a good dad? I mean there are going to be a lot of things I can't do now. It seems unfair to our kid that they have to have a dad whose in a chair." Declan whispered finally admitting something he'd been worrying about for four months now.

"Declan you really think that because you can't walk you won't be a good father? That's ridiculous, you're going to be an amazing father. Just because you have to do things differently now than you used to doesn't make it bad. You aren't broken or lacking for anything. You need to stop thinking like that." Charlotte chastised.

"You sound like my counselor. How come none of this seems to bother you? You don't seem to care at all that I'm going to be handicapped for the rest of my life." Declan responded.

"Of course I care. I hate that this happened to you and I hate how you're feeling. But I told you that day in the hospital that I was just glad to have you with me. You will always just be Declan to me. The same goofy, brave, and somewhat crappy bartender I met slinging drinks in his dad's bar." She assured him.

Declan hugged Charlotte tightly and buried his face in her hair. "Thanks Char, and by the way I was a kickass bartender."

"Yeah right." She teased and twisted to kiss him again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Charlotte broke off their kiss after half a minute and checked her phone for the time. "Crap we better hurry, you're brothers going to be here in an hour. You excited to go home?" She asked.

Declan began wheeling towards his room while he thought about his answer. "Excited and terrified." He admitted.

"I know it's scary but we'll be here and you don't have to be ashamed to ask for help you know." Charlotte insisted as they arrived at Declan's room. She saw that his bag was already packed and waiting on the bed.

"I know Charlotte and I promise I'll try my best ok?" He answered sounding slightly exacerbated. "You mind waiting while I take a shower?" He asked as he pulled a clean set of clothes and his toiletries out and set them on his lap.

"I don't mind, although being pregnant is exhausting so I might be asleep on your bed by the time you're done." Charlotte warned.

After Declan disappeared into the bathroom Charlotte curled up on the bed and snuggled into the pillow which smelled like Declan.

"Guess who called me this morning?" Declan shouted through the partially opened bathroom door.

"I have no idea." Charlotte shouted back.

"The headmaster from Collins Prep. They offered me my spot back if I want to finish up my last semester and graduate through them, free of charge." Declan answered.

Charlotte sat up from the bed and headed into the bathroom without knocking. Declan was sitting in a shower chair facing the door and let out a yelp and quickly pulled the shower curtain all the way shut. "Jesus Charlotte I'm naked in here." He yelled.

Charlotte snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant with your baby Declan, I think it's a little late to get modest on me. I've seen it all before."

Declan didn't reply so Charlotte rolled her eyes and sat down in his empty wheelchair.

"Fine I'll stay out here, but seriously why is Collins prep trying to get you to come back? I mean no offense but it's not like you have family money that they're trying to get a donation out of." She pondered.

"Who knows. I'm guessing they're doing it for the publicity. You know helping out their former student from the wrong side of the tracks who was so tragically crippled in a terrorist attack. That's gotta be good press for them." Declan answered, not sounding nearly as offended as Charlotte would be if it were her in his position.

"That doesn't piss you off?" She asked.

"Not really. I mean the explosion was a huge story and the way your dad talked about me on the news? They'd be stupid not to try and use me for some good press." He stated simply.

"I guess so, but I still think it's kind of insulting. So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd come back if they'd readmit you too." He revealed sounding entirely too proud of himself.

"What? Declan why would you do that? They expelled me for breaking the honor code and in case you forgot I'm pregnant. They are never going to let me show up to school with my belly sticking out. I can't even fit in the uniform right now." Charlotte shouted.

Declan laughed, "They already said yes. I'm sure they're planning some inspirational story about you too. Pregnant at eighteen, engaged to some poor guy who can't walk. We're like a freaking Lifetime movie we're so tragic." Declan joked laughing even harder.

Charlotte however wasn't laughing she was sitting straight up in amazement replaying that one word over and over in her head, engaged. She suddenly jumped up, flung back the shower curtain, and stepped right into the shower, despite being fully clothed.

"Charlotte remember the whole I'm naked thing?" Declan shrieked, using his hands to cover up his as best he could.

"Did you just say engaged Declan Porter?" She asked, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

Declan stopped fidgeting and stared at her. "Um I guess I did. I mean I've been planning on asking you, I mean I wasn't planning on asking you like this that's for sure. It just kind of slipped out." He stammered. "I'm sorry, we can pretend I didn't say it. I wasn't trying to pressure you into anything."

"Declan shut up." Charlotte ordered as she leaned down to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply.

"Is that a yes?" He asked hopefully after a bit.

"Well are you actually going to ask me?" She returned.

Declan pulled her into his lap, forgetting about the fact that he was naked or the fact that he'd been embarrassed for her to see how skinny his legs had become. "Charlotte Clarke will you marry me?" He asked.

"Of course I will." She answered instantly and leaned in to kiss him again.

"You know you're in a shower fully clothed don't you." He asked her after the kiss ended.

Charlotte laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care, but if you don't like it..." She stood up and began unbuttoning her shirt.

She hesitated suddenly and bit her lip.

"What's wrong?" Declan asked.

"I don't want you to see me naked. I'm fat." She admitted.

Declan reached out and grabbed Charlotte's hands in his own. "I didn't want you to see me naked either." He revealed.

"Why not?"

"I guess I was embarrassed. I just didn't want you to see my legs, I know they don't look very good anymore." He whispered. "It's just strange having my body be so different than it used to be you know?"

Charlotte chuckled and patted her stomach. "I think I can understand that for sure. How about we both agree that since we love each other and we're getting married it means that we don't have to be ashamed of stuff like this with each other?"

"I can agree to that." Declan said with a smile and reached out to start unbuttoning Charlotte's shirt.

Once her shirt was off Declan dropped it to the ground and stared at Charlotte with wide eyes and a smile. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about Char, trust me." He groaned and pulled her back down onto his lap.

Charlotte sat down so that she was straddling Declan. She ran her hands up his abdomen, tracing the scar on his chest, then moved over his shoulders and down his back, tracing the scar there as well. Declan's breath came out in a shuddering rush at her touch, it seemed like his upper body had grown more sensitive since he'd lost the feeling in his lower half.

He let himself get lost in the sensations as Charlotte kissed his neck and ran her hands over his chest, but he stopped her when he noticed her hands trailing down to his lower half.

"Wait Charlotte, I don't know if this is a good idea. I mean I probably can't. You know, have sex." He finally admitted to her, sounding horribly ashamed and humiliated.

Charlotte stopped what she was doing and looked him straight in the eyes. "Didn't we just promise not to be embarrassed with each other? Declan it's ok if things don't work like they used to. If we can't have traditional sex anymore it's not a big deal, there are a lot of ways we can be together and satisfy each other. But we'll never figure it out if we don't try and see what works and what doesn't. Ok?"

Declan still looked scared but he nodded. "Ok."

About five minutes later Charlotte abruptly stopped kissing Declan and looked at him with a smile on her face.

"What?" He asked.

She simply raised an eye brow and glanced down at the erection which she'd just felt pressing against her belly. Declan looked down to see that he'd actually been able to get an erection, true he couldn't feel anything down there but it was still a casue for celebration. He let out a loud laugh and pulled Charlotte into a tight hug.

"Declan what the hell is taking so long I've been out here for like twenty minutes?" Jack suddenly asked as he pushed the door open to find his brother naked with a topless Charlotte straddling his lap.

"Shit, sorry!" Jack exclaimed and quickly shut the door.

Charlotte's shocked face was bright red as she pressed it to Declan's chest. "Oh my god that is humiliating."

Declan laughed and rubbed her back. "I guess we better get out of here huh?"

"Too bad, things were just starting to get interesting." Charlotte pouted.

"Well maybe you could come by the bar tonight and we can pick up where we left off?" He suggested.

"That could work." She agreed as she climbed off of Declan's lap and picked her shirt up off the shower floor. "Man I really didn't think this through did I?" She joked holding up the dripping wet garment.

"You can borrow some of my clothes, they're all in the bag on the bed." Declan offered.

Charlotte looked conflicted as she tried to decide whether or not it would be more embarrassing to leave while Jack was out there or just set up permanent residence in the bathroom. She finally let out a grumble as she wrapped a towel around herself and left the bathroom to get Declan's bag.

Jack was standing near the window of the bedroom and looked every bit as embarrassed as Charlotte felt. "I am so sorry Charlotte I didn't realize you were here. I never would have come in if I'd known." He gushed.

"No it's my fault Jack I should have locked the door or made sure it was shut all the way at the very least." Charlotte returned as she grabbed the bag and ducked back into the bathroom.

Five minutes later she was even more humiliated when she found herself dressed in one of Declan's t-shirts and a pair of his pajama pants, the only pants of his that she could get on with her pregnant stomach.

"I look ridiculous." She stated as she stared at herself critically in the mirror.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful." Declan complimented as he transferred himself from his shower chair to his regular one.

"Yeah but you have to say that since it's your fault I'm this fat in the first place." She pointed out.

"Just because I have to say it doesn't mean it's not true." He argued.

Charlotte waited while Declan got dressed. She noticed that he winced when he leaned over to tie his right shoe.

"Declan what's wrong?" She asked instantly worried.

Declan waved a hand at her like it was no big deal. "I'm fine. It just pulls on both my scars when I lean over like this. My physical therapist said it should stop eventually."

Charlotte knelt down and quickly tied both shoes for him.

"You know I can do that myself." He pointed out.

"I know but when I do it you're not in pain. Plus you can pay me back in a few months when I can't reach my feet anymore."

"I'll right deal." He chuckled.

"Seriously I'm really sorry about walking in on you guys." Jack said again when they emerged from the bathroom together.

"Yeah maybe try knocking first next time." Declan suggested sarcastically.

"Maybe learn to use a door lock next time." Jack countered.

"So did you tell Jack about the phone call you got today?" Charlotte asked, hoping to cut the men off before they got into one of their stupid brotherly fights which could last for hours.

Declan nodded and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Yeah I told him. He hates the idea and thinks we should both just get our G.E.D.s."

"I don't even know why you'd want to go back to that place. Those prissy ass rich kids treated you like crap and that was before you were in a chair. You think they're gonna be any nicer now?" Jack snarled, clearly still pissed at the people who treated his brother so badly.

"No I'm sure they're gonna be even worse now, but that's not the point." Declan answered.

"Ok so what's the point that I seem to be missing?" His brother questioned.

"Jack I'm eighteen, about to become a dad, and I'm in a wheelchair. How many job options do you really think are out there for me right now. If I can put that I graduated from Collins Prep on my resume it would probably go a long way to get me a job or getting into a good college. The same goes for Charlotte." Declan explained, he'd obviously given this a lot of thought.

"Charlotte what do you think?" Jack turned to the younger woman, hoping she'd be on his side.

"Well I don't really want to go back to that school. Especially not like this." She said and gestured down to her stomach. "But Dec has a point. Graduating from Collins would definitely be more impressive than a G.E.D. certificate. Also if we both are alumni of the school then our kid will almost certainly be able to go there once they're old enough."

"So are we going to do this then?" Declan asked.

Charlotte was terrified of going back to her old school. She knew that her classmates would have some cruel things to say about her being pregnant and she didn't want to see the looks of disappointment on her teacher's faces. However if Declan was willing to back and face the people who had been so mean to him before and do it from a wheelchair then she could suck it up and go back pregnant.

"Alright lets do it. I mean it's only one semester anyway." Charlotte agreed.

Jack rolled his eyes and gave a dramatic sigh. "Ok its your decision but I think it's a stupid one, I'm just saying that now so I can say I told you so later. So you ready to get out of here?" He asked and bent down to take Declan's bag off of his lap.

Declan nodded. "I guess so, I can't stay here forever. Let's get out of here before I loose my nerve."

"Hey Jack you do know you're driving in the opposite direction from the bar right?" Declan pointed out ten minutes later as they pulled out of the parking lot of the rehab center.

"I know I promised Emily we'd stop by her place for a few minutes." Jack replied.

Declan let out an irritated groan. "Jack do we really need to stop at Emily's right now? Her place isn't accessible at all, I'll just have to sit in the car."

"It'll be fine Dec, don't worry." Jack assured him bluntly.

Declan couldn't believe how insensitive his brother was being. He'd been out of rehab for all of five minutes and the first place his brother was taking him was to a house surrounded by sand and stairs. He thought about arguing further but decided to just shut his mouth and stay in the car like he'd said he would. From the backseat Charlotte reached forward and gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. At least she got it, even if his own brother didn't.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up to the beach house and Declan saw the changes immediately. A large concrete sidewalk had been poured around the entire house, with a short sidewalk jutting out to the parking area which had also been paved, and a long sidewalk that seemed to lead all the way down to the beach. A large wooden ramp had also been built going into the house.

Declan's mouth fell open as he stared at the changes. "What? Emily did all this for me?" He asked incredulously.

"She wanted you to be able to get into the house whenever you needed to." Jack explained while climbing out of the car and walking around to the passenger side.

"That's really nice of her, but I feel terrible. This must have cost a fortune and it's not like I come over here all that often." Declan muttered.

Jack simply gave him a smile and pulled Declan's wheelchair out of the backseat so that he could slide into it.

Once he was seated in his chair the three of them made their way into the house. Declan noticed that in addition to everything else Emily had also widened the doorway to make it easier for him to get in. He pushed his chair over the doorjamb and was shocked to see Emily and Nolan standing under a white banner which displayed the words, WELCOME HOME, in large bright green letters.

He turned to look at Charlotte and Jack to see if they knew what was going on. Charlotte looked every bit as surprised as Declan felt and Jack had a smug smile on his face.

"What is going on and Nolan when did you get out of prison?" Declan asked.

"I got out this morning and the first thing I did was help Ems plan a welcome home party for you. Almost five months in prison and I didn't get a welcome home party." Nolan pouted, but the smile on his face was enough to let Declan know he was joking.

"It's good to see you kid." He added and leaned down to give Declan a hug.

"You too man." Declan answered.

"So Declan do you like the changes we made to the house?" Emily asked.

Declan turned his chair to face Emily, "It's great but you really didn't have to do this to your house just for me. It's too much." He protested, clearly embarrassed.

"I didn't do it to my house, I did it to your house. Well your's and Charlotte's if you guys want it." She revealed.

Declan and Charlotte both stared at Emily with matching looks of shock on their faces. "Wait Emily you're giving us your house?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah I decided it's too big for just me. You guys are getting ready to have a baby, you need the room more than I do." She said casually like giving away houses was no big deal to her.

"We can't accept this Emily. I mean it's really generous but we can't take your house from you." Declan stated firmly.

"Dude just say thank you and enjoy your new pad. She bought me a house this morning too and I didn't put up a fight." Declan interjected.

"He didn't even say thank you." Emily quipped.

"You owed me a house!" Nolan countered.

Charlotte moved to stand beside Declan and looked down at him. "We really could use the space. I mean the bar is barely big enough for us, Jack, and Carl I have no idea where we'd put another baby."

"Plus it was much easier to make this place wheelchair accessible than it would have been to change the apartments above the bar." Jack added.

"Emily where are you going to live if we're taking your house?" Declan questioned.

"I'm going to move in with Nolan." She replied confidently.

"What? When were you going to let me in on that little detail?" Nolan asked.

"So are you saying I can't stay with you?"

"No, but it would be nice if you'd run things by me first Ems."

"Hey it's not like she'll be staying there that long. I mean once you and Daniel get married I'm sure you guys will get your own place in the city and you can stay at Grayson Manor during the summer." Charlotte pointed out.

It grew uncomfortably silent in the room and Declan noticed Emily, Jack, and Nolan all giving each other significant glances.

"What aren't you guy telling us?" He asked.

Emily moved over to a spot near the stairs and bent down. She flipped the rug back and opened up a panel in the flooring. From the space in the floor she pulled out a wooden box. When she turned back around towards Declan he could make out a twisting infinity symbol carved into the lid of the box.

"There are some things you both need to know." Emily stated.

Charlotte and Declan nodded and moved over to the living room area so that Charlotte and the others could take a seat.

"So what exactly do we need to know?" Charlotte asked as she took Declan's hand in her own.

Emily took a deep breath, she was obviously nervous about whatever she was about to say.

"My name isn't Emily Thorne." She began.

"It's Amanda Clarke."

A/N- I know that's a terribly mean place to leave this chapter, but it just seemed like the right place to leave it. I also realize that Nolan was in prison longer than four months, I think it was ten months on the show, maybe six I don't remember. But I wanted him to be in this story and I figured since it's an A/U I can change it if I want. Thank you again for reading and reviews are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Charlotte sat on the floor of the beach house surrounded by the contents of Emily's infinity box. She leaned against Declan's legs and sighed when he began running a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and enjoyed the comforting gesture before she picked the journal back up and began reading again.

Her father had been a good man. That much was clear from reading his words. He'd loved Emily with all his heart and apparently though he'd never even gotten to meet her he'd loved Charlotte too. Her heart felt like a twisted mess of emotions so conflicting it was dizzying.

She was furious with Emily for lying, but when she looked at the situation logically she understood why Emily was doing it. The things that her mother and father had done were unspeakable, especially the things they'd done to her father David. It was no wonder Emily was out for vengeance.

The words on the paper began to blur, but Charlotte didn't even realize she was crying until a tear drop splashed down onto the journal and caused the ink to bleed and run. "I need some fresh air, I'm going down to the beach." She explained to Declan and then hurried out the door.

Declan watched Charlotte storm off and then turned to look at the others. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about this Jack." He snapped.

"I know I'm sorry Dec. But I swear I didn't know about most of this until the night you were hurt. The day you had your back surgery I made Emily promise to tell you and Charlotte everything, I just asked her to wait for awhile until you had had some time to adjust to everything else." Jack explained.

Declan nodded and then stretched in his chair, wincing at the pain in his back. "Okay I guess I can get that. I just can't believe Charlotte's dad was the one who was responsible for the bombing. Are you sure he was the one who did it?"

Emily nodded, her face filled with regret and sympathy. "Yes it was him. Declan I'm so sorry you got caught in the middle of all this and were hurt so badly. I never should have started all this, I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I just wanted to payback the people who did all of this."

He gave Emily a shrug and waved a hand at her dismissively. "What happened to me wasn't your fault Emily. None of this was. If everything you told us is true then Conrad deserves everything you're planning to do to him and more."

Declan wheeled himself over to the patio doors and could just barely make out Charlotte's figure as she stared out at the ocean. He watched her for awhile and then spun around to face the other's who were all staring at him expectantly.

"I want to help if I can. I mean I don't know what I can do, but if there's anything, I want to do it." He stated firmly.

Jack jumped up from the couch and shook his head emphatically. "Look Declan I understand you must hate Conrad for what he did to you, but this is too dangerous."

"Jack this isn't about what happened to me. He tried to kill you and he got Amanda killed. He took Carl's mom from him and Emily he took your dad from you. He deserves to pay for all of that and Victoria deserves to pay for betraying David and for what she did to you when you were a kid Emily." Declan declared.

"You're right Dec he does deserve to pay, they all do. But I can't let you get involved, you've been hurt enough. I'm not letting anything else happen to you." Jack insisted.

"I think I've earned the right to help bring Conrad down Jack." Declan said pointedly and gestured to his legs to illustrate his point. "Look I'm not a little kid anymore you don't get to tell me what to do. If you guys won't let me help then I'll try and take him down myself. Now I'm going down to check on Charlotte." He finished and started heading out the glass doors.

"Declan wait." Emily called from behind him. He stopped and turned back to face Emily. "Can- um can I go down and talk to her?" She requested.

Declan sighed and wheeled to the side so that Emily could move through the door. "If she needs me come get me." He instructed as she moved to head towards the beach. She nodded and then quickly moved towards her little sister.

As she walked down the path Emily tried to get a read of Charlotte's emotions from her body language. The tight set of her shoulders indicated that she was still angry, Emily just wished she knew who Charlotte was mad at.

"Charlotte? Can we talk for a minute? Please?" Emily called as she moved to stand beside her sister.

"Sure go ahead and talk, sis." Charlotte muttered sarcastically without taking her eyes off of the ocean.

Emily sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought. "Look Charlotte I get that you're angry with me and you have every right to be. I know that no matter what they've done Conrad and Victoria are still your parents and I'm trying to hurt them, I'm sorry that you're caught in the middle of all this."

"You think this is about them?" Charlotte interrupted and turned to stare at Emily. "They are not my parents, not anymore. They got my father killed and because of them Declan is never going to walk again. I hope you take them down and make them suffer for everything that they've ever done to all of us."

Emily blinked and stared at Charlotte with her mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe the fire and passion spilling out of Charlotte.

"But what about Daniel? He didn't do anything to you, he's innocent in all this and you're playing him. You're using him to get your revenge and then you're just going to break his heart and leave him alone." Charlotte was shouting now, waving her hands in the air to illustrate her point.

"You're right. Daniel hasn't done anything to me. But he isn't innocent in all this. Do you remember that press conference Daniel had after Tyler was killed?" Emily asked.

Charlotte nodded.

"Not ten minutes before that happened your father told him everything. Everything they'd done in setting up our father and funding the people who blew up that plane. Daniel knew about all of it and he had the chance that day and everyday since then to do something about it and he never has. He's keeping your father's secrets and profiting from a company that did all of this."

"Did Daniel know about the bomb?" Charlotte whispered through clenched teeth.

Emily shook her head. "No he had nothing to do with it, but he's known about it since a few days after it happened. It's the reason he's not speaking to your father."

Charlotte let out a snarl of anger and dropped to the sand, crying. "He's known that our father is responsible for Declan being paralyzed for four months and he didn't go to the police? How could he do that? How can he even stand to be in the same room with him?" Charlotte sobbed.

Emily dropped to her knees and cautiously put a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. When the younger woman didn't pull away Emily moved to sit beside her and put her arms around her little sister.

"I feel like my entire life has been a lie. Everyone who is supposed to love me are liars." She cried.

Emily pulled away from Charlotte so that she could look into her eyes. "Not everyone. Declan loves you more than anything and he hasn't lied to you. Jack and I both love you too and I promise from here on out no more lies. I will be honest with you about anything you want to know."

"Will you tell me about our father?" Charlotte asked.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know." Emily assured her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emily and Charlotte walked back to the beach house together, Emily's arm wrapped around Charlotte's shoulder. Despite everything that was going on in her life at that moment Emily felt a lightening in her heart as she walked with her little sister. It felt good to have family to care about again.

The women found Daniel waiting with the other men when they walked back into the beach house. The atmosphere in the living room was tense when they entered. Daniel and Jack could barely stand being in the same room with each other and both Nolan and Declan looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.

"Daniel! What are you doing here?" Emily asked brightly, hoping that the others in the room could act natural so that Daniel wouldn't become suspicious.

"Well I heard that Declan was getting home today and I wanted to come by and see how he was doing. Plus see my baby sister and my beautiful girlfriend." Daniel answered.

Charlotte forced herself to put a smile on her face and return Daniel's hug when he pulled her into his arms. She tried to remember that he was Danny, her big brother who'd always looked out for her. Her head remembered these things but the only thing she could feel in her heart was disgust knowing that Daniel was standing here smiling and welcoming Declan home all the while knowing who was responsible for hurting him so badly. It was repulsive to think that her brother was protecting the man who was responsible for her father being murdered and her fiance being paralyzed. Her stomach clenched tightly and without warning she was pulling away from Daniel and running to the bathroom to be sick.

"Char!" Declan called and pushed his wheelchair as fast as he could to the bathroom where she'd disappeared.

She hadn't had time to lock the door behind her so Declan was able to follow her in to the bathroom. He found her huddled on the floor in front of the toilet retching and crying. Declan wheeled to the sink, noting absently that the bathroom too had been remodeled to be wheelchair accessible. He soaked a washcloth with cold water and then placed it on the back of Charlotte's neck. She had finished throwing up by the time he got over to her, but she was still crying.

"I don't think I can do this Dec." She whispered so that no one outside the bathroom could hear her.

Declan helped her to her feet and then pulled her down so that she was sitting in his lap. "I know this is hard Charlotte. Maybe we should just leave. We could move somewhere, just the two of us. Well the three of us." He amended and rubbed a hand over her stomach.

She shook her head and sniffed a little. "No I don't want to run away from this. I want to stay and make sure they pay for what they've done. It was just a shock having Daniel suddenly be here, but I think I'm good now." She stated sounding determined.

Charlotte stood up from Declan's lap, both of them laughing a little when he had to put a hand on her back and push so that she could actually get up. She pulled open the medicine cabinet and gave a happy sigh when she found unopened tooth brushes and tooth paste waiting for guests. After brushing her teeth and rinsing her face with cold water she turned to Declan and gave him a bright fake smile.

"Okay do I look alright?" She asked.

"You look beautiful." He assured her.

She gave him a grin and rolled her eyes. "Flirt." She quipped under her breath as she opened the door.

"Sorry everybody, morning sickness is such a lie, they should call it any damn time it pleases sickness." Charlotte joked brightly when she reentered the living room.

Emily was impressed by how quickly Charlotte had managed to get herself under control. She'd obviously lost it when Daniel had unexpectedly shown up, but she had reigned in her feelings and nothing seemed out of the ordinary now.

"You sure you're okay?" Daniel asked with concern.

"I'm fine I swear. Just one of the downsides to pregnancy." Charlotte assured him and sat down on a couch giving Emily a grateful look when she brought her a glass of water.

"Declan can I talk to you for a minute?" Jack asked and motioned for Declan to follow him outside onto the deck.

"Look I need to pick up Carl from the nanny and check on the bar. Are you going to be alright here on your own? I can come back with Carl if you think you'll need me." Jack offered.

Part of Declan wanted to tell Jack to stay, he wanted the comfort of knowing his big brother was right there if he needed help, but the Porter pride in him didn't want to admit it. It was terrifying being out of the rehab center. There he'd had nurses and orderlies who could help him with any problem that might arise, now that he was out he was on his own. It was tempting to ask Jack to stay, but if he stayed tonight then Declan would still be faced with him leaving the next night or the night after. At some point he was going to have to deal with the realities of being paralyzed all on his own. It might as well be now, no use putting off the inevitable.

"I'll be fine Jack. You've put your life on hold for four months for me, it's time you get back to it. Go check on the bar and hang out with your son. I'm good and if I do need something Charlotte will be here or I can always call you." Declan assured him, he was glad that his voice came out sounding much more sure than he actually felt.

Jack sat down on the porch swing and scrutinized his younger brother. "I honestly don't know how you're dealing with all of this Dec. I think if it was me I'd be going crazy. How are you handling this so well?"

Declan sighed and turned one wheel of his chair so that he was facing his brother. "I don't know. I guess I just figure that I can't change the situation so I may as well get used to it. I mean Charlotte's having a baby Jack, my baby. I have to be strong for her, she needs me."

Jack put a hand on Declan's shoulder and squeezed. "Declan, Charlotte is stronger than you think. If you'd have seen how strong she was right after you were hurt and we weren't sure whether or not you'd live you wouldn't worry so much. Maybe it's time you let her take care of you for awhile."

Declan nodded and let out the breath he'd been holding. "I'm fine Jack, stop worrying. Go home and take care of my nephew. Bring him over tomorrow so I can see him and you can check on me then ok?"

"Okay I'll take the hint. You don't need your big brother breathing down your neck. I'll see you tomorrow." Jack promised before driving away.

Declan waited until Jack was out of sight and then turned to head back into the house. The only problem was that the patio door opened towards the outside and was heavy. He'd learned how to open doors and get through in his chair during rehab but suddenly he was struggling with it. He couldn't seem to pull his chair back with one hand while opening the door with the other and then keep the door open long enough to get through. The fact that everyone in the house had a perfect view of his struggle didn't help any. Luckily Nolan was quick to hurry over and hold the door for Declan.

"Thanks." Declan mumbled under his breath as he wheeled into the house and pulled his chair up next to the sofa where Charlotte was sitting. His face was burning with humiliation, but he tried to look like his struggle hadn't bothered him. He noticed that Charlotte still looked a little pale and he gave her a worried look. She noticed the look and gave him a reassuring smile, then took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"So Daniel just told me that my mom wants us to go up to the Manor for dinner tonight, along with Emily and Daniel." Charlotte informed him.

"Um." Declan drawled not sure how to respond. He hadn't really planned on going anywhere this soon after getting out of the hospital. He'd hoped for just a quiet night at home. Before he could think of an answer his phone alarm began to ring. He'd set the alarm to go off every six hours, a reminder that he needed to go to the bathroom and catheterize himself.

"I'll be back in a minute." He whispered to Charlotte before heading to the bathroom.

Once he'd closed and locked the door he forced himself to steady his breathing. Going to the bathroom since his injury was usually the worst parts of his day. It was the biggest reminder that his body was broken and would never work the way it was meant to again. He pulled his supplies from the backpack that he carried on the back of his wheelchair. He finished as quickly as he could and used the time to try and decide what to say about dinner. By the time he was done he'd decided that despite his reluctance he was going to accept the dinner offer, for no other reason than perhaps he'd be able to learn some bit of information that could help Emily out.

Now that he knew everything he wasn't going to waste a single chance to try and take the Graysons down. Every time he was in their home or around them was one more opportunity to learn something that could be of value and he wasn't going to waste a single chance at getting that information.

He left the bathroom and wheeled back into the living room where Emily and Charlotte were talking to Daniel and Nolan was messing around on his smart phone.

"So dinner at your parents huh? Hope it goes better than the last few times we tried to all eat together." He joked while plastering a fake smile across his face.

His heart was pounding knowing that very soon he'd be sitting at the same table as the man who had put him in a wheelchair and he had to pretend like everything was fine. It was going to be a long night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Two stairs. It was just two freaking stairs that caused the carefully constructed control Declan had built to come crashing down.

The night had started badly enough when they left for dinner at Grayson Manor and ran into the problem of how to get there. Charlotte's car was at the manor and Declan realized that even if they had her car there was no way his wheelchair was going to fit in the tiny sports car. They had the same problem with Emily and Daniel's cars which were both sports cars as well.

The only way they could finally make it work was for Declan to ride in Daniel's car which had just enough room for him and his chair, while Charlotte and Emily rode together in Emily's vehicle. It wasn't the worst situation but it was still humiliating to have to transfer in and out of the car while Daniel Grayson looked on uncomfortably like he wasn't sure if he should help Declan or not.

Things only got worse from there. The four of them entered the house together to find Conrad and Victoria standing in the foyer waiting for them. Emily and Daniel entered the house without a second thought but Declan and Charlotte stayed in the doorway both looking at the two stairs down that everyone had forgotten about.

"Oh um..." Charlotte began not quite sure what to say.

The conversation ground to a halt when everyone else in the room suddenly realized the problem.

"Declan I'm so sorry. We didn't even think..." Victoria trailed off.

The feeling of burning humiliation which was now becoming all too familiar washed over Declan, but he pushed it aside. He tried to remember everything his therapist had told him during rehab. He reminded himself that his injury wasn't his fault. He hadn't chosen this and he shouldn't feel the need to apologize for needing help.

"It's alright I think I can get down two stairs if you don't mind giving me a hand Daniel." Declan said.

"Of course just tell me what to do." Daniel replied eagerly.

"Just grab the back of my chair and hold it steady so I don't tip backwards alright?" Declan instructed.

As Daniel moved to stand behind Declan's chair, Declan popped a wheelie onto his back tires like he'd been taught in rehab. Once Daniel was holding him steady he wheeled forward and hopped his chair down the two stairs. It wasn't the most graceful looking manuver but it worked.

Charlotte followed him down the stairs and gave him a proud smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Well lets eat." Conrad said loudly, obviously trying to break the uncomfortable tension in the room.

The group moved into the dining room and Declan waited while Charlotte moved a chair away from the table so that he could pull his wheelchair up.

"So Declan you must be so happy to be out of the hospital finally." Victoria gushed with her usual sweet fake charm.

"Yeah well four months is a really long time to eat hospital food." Declan joked hoping to cut the uncomfortable tension which still hadn't dissipated. He hated the fact that for the rest of his life people were going to feel uncomfortable around him.

"I imagine it is. Well hopefully this will be a little more palatable." Victoria stated as the maid walked in and began serving plates of food.

As they ate no one said much. Declan glanced at Charlotte who rolled her eyes and gave him a smile, clearly showing she knew just how weird the situation was. He had to stifle a laugh at the look on her face.

When dinner was over Conrad cleared his throat and looked between Charlotte and Declan. "So I have to admit that your mother and I had an ulterior motive for inviting you to dinner tonight. We felt now that Declan was out of the hospital we should all sit down and have a talk about the future. I realize that you've been through a tremendous amount Declan and I'm sure adjusting to your, uh, situation has been very difficult. But with the baby coming Victoria and I feel that there isn't time to waste in figuring out what you two are going to do with your lives."

"Dad Declan just got home today I think this can wait for awhile." Charlotte snapped.

Declan held up a hand to Charlotte. "It's okay Char I mean we made plans today we may as well share them with your parents if it would make them feel better. I mean if it's alright with you."

Charlotte looked around the table in a panic. She wasn't sure she was ready to tell her parents and her brother that she was getting married. What would they think? But then she considered everything she'd learned about her family today and figured these people had less right to judge her choices than anyone else in the entire world.

"So what are these plans you've both made?" Victoria asked.

"Declan was offered the chance to go back to Collins Prep and he convinced them to take me back as well. So we're going to start school again on Monday. Hopefully I can be finished before the baby comes. After that maybe college or we'll just go straight to work we haven't decided yet." Charlotte explained.

"That's wonderful that you're both planning on going back to school." Victoria praised.

"We also decided that we're going to get married." Charlotte blurted out.

Her announcement was met with ringing silence.

Victoria was the first to respond. "I guess we should have expected this, but are you sure it's the best idea? You both are so young and you've both gone through so much recently, I'm just not sure this is the best time to be making major life decisions."

Charlotte put a hand on her stomach. "I think we've already made one. Declan and I love each other and we're having a baby together. Getting married is the right thing to do."

Conrad shook his head and threw his napkin onto his empty plate. "And then what? You're both going to live in a tiny apartment above a bar while you raise the next generation of Graysons? Absolutely not."

Emily cleared her throat. "Actually Conrad they won't be living at the bar. As a welcome home present for Declan I had the beach house remodeled to be wheelchair accessible and I've already put the deed into Declan's name. I figured this way they could have their own space without being too far away from you and Victoria."

"It seems your generosity knows no bounds Emily." Victoria snipped. "Where may I ask are you going to be living since you've given your house away."

"Actually I planned on staying in Nolan's pool house at least for awhile. I guess I'll decide what to do from there once the summer season is over. Maybe Daniel and I will get a place in the city." Emily answered sounding coy and giving a flirtatious smile to Daniel.

Before the argument could continue Declan's phone began to ring. "Excuse me." He said and wheeled out of the dining room back into the foyer. He pulled his phone out of his jean's pocket and saw that Jack was calling him.

"Miss me already?" He answered with a laugh.

"Hey I'm a worrier alright, sue me." Jack returned also laughing. "You doing ok?"

"I've been better. We're at the Graysons' having dinner. Charlotte just told her parents we're engaged." Declan answered.

"Engaged? Since when are you and Charlotte engaged?" Jack exclaimed.

"Since about ten minutes before you walked in on us this morning. Sorry it's been a busy day I forgot to tell you."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised. You sure with everything else that's going on you're ready to add marriage to it?" Jack asked.

Declan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I love her Jack. I'm not ever going to want anyone else and we're having a baby together, why shouldn't we get married?"

"I guess you've got a point. Well congratulations, I'm happy for you." Jack replied sincerely. "But you do realize that means that the Graysons are going to be your in-laws right?" He teased.

"Hopefully they won't be a problem for much longer." Declan whispered, his teeth clenched.

"Hopefully. Carl's crying so I've got to go. You call me if you need anything." Jack instructed.

"I will." Declan promised.

After hanging up and putting his phone away Declan wheeled back to the dining room, but stopped outside the door when he heard his name being spoken.

"Declan is a fine boy Charlotte that's not what your mother and I are saying, but he's not the boy for you." Victoria insisted.

"I don't care what you say, I'm marrying Declan and that's the end of it. If you can't accept it then you don't have to be a part of our lives." Charlotte yelled.

"Charlotte sweetheart. We understand you have feelings for Declan but he's not good enough for you. Even if it isn't by blood you're still a Grayson, that name holds certain responsibilities. Marrying a person of the correct social and financial standing is one of those responsibilities. Declan Porter has nothing to offer you Charlotte. He's barely educated and he's crippled, how will he ever be able to provide for you or your child? That boy has no future and I won't see you drug down with him. You are meant for so much more than marrying someone who is only half a man." Conrad lectured loudly.

Declan jumped when he heard a loud crashing sound, he peaked around the door frame and saw that Charlotte's chair was knocked over and she was standing in front of her father breathing heavily. She looked more angry than Declan had ever seen her.

"How could you say that? You know nothing about Declan. He is the bravest, most noble man I've ever known. You think he's not good enough for me? I'm not good enough for him! I'm lucky he still wants be in spite of all the crap this family has put him through! It's your fault..." Charlotte screamed.

Emily jumped from her chair and rushed to Charlotte's side hoping to calm her down before she said something to give everything away.

"Charlotte. Hey Char it's alright calm down." Emily soothed.

Charlotte continued to breath fast and heavy, her face nearly purple with rage.

"Come on Charlotte, calm down, this isn't good for the baby." Emily whispered.

"Let's get out of here and find Declan." Daniel suggested.

Charlotte nodded and followed her brother and Emily out of the dining room.

They found Declan sitting in the foyer at the base of the stairs. His head was hanging down so she couldn't see his face and his hands were gripping the tires of his wheelchair so hard that his knuckles were white.

Charlotte hurried to his side. "Did you hear..." She began.

"Yeah I heard." He interrupted, his voice was hoarse and flat completely devoid of emotion. "I was going to leave, but I can't get up the stairs." He whispered.

His voice was so defeated that Charlotte felt her heart breaking. She wanted more than anything to take away the pain in his voice but she had no idea how to do it.

"Declan what if I carry you up and Emily gets your chair up there?" Daniel asked quietly.

Declan nodded but didn't lift his head to look at Daniel. He put his arm around Daniel's shoulder and closed his eyes as Daniel picked him up out of his chair and carried him up the two steps.

Emily got the chair up the stairs as quickly as possible and Daniel set Declan back in it.

As fast as he could Declan spun his chair around and was out the front door which Emily held open for him, refusing the whole time to meet anyone's eye.

"Declan wait." Charlotte called and raced after him.

She reached out to grab his shoulder and he let out a growl of anger before spinning around to face her.

"Charlotte don't! Just leave me alone!" Declan snarled.

"How are you going to get home?" She whimpered when he spun around and started wheeling off again.

"It's not that far to the beach house Charlotte. I'm not helpless, I can get there on my own." He called without turning around.

Charlotte felt her heart breaking as Declan disappeared into the darkness. Part of her wanted to run after him, she was afraid to let him leave by himself. She forced herself to stay still however, she knew his pride was hurting and the last thing he needed was his pregnant girlfriend hovering over him worrying.

Charlotte stormed back into the house and went straight to her room, ignoring the calls from her parents. In her room she began throwing her things into suitcases. She left most of her clothes since they wouldn't fit her anyway. After she had two bags filled with the things she wanted to bring with her she stomped back downstairs.

"Emily could you please give me a ride back to the beach house?" She requested once again ignoring her parents.

"Charlotte dear please lets talk about this. What your father said was out of line and I'm sure he's sorry that Declan overheard and was hurt by it. But don't leave, this is your home." Victoria plead.

"Just stop. I'm done listening to both of you. I'm moving in with Declan and we are getting married. There's nothing you can do or say to stop me. I hope that one day you can both accept it and show Declan the respect he deserves, but until then just stay away from us." Charlotte stormed past her parents and walked straight to Emily's car without looking back.

"I'll give Charlotte a ride back to the beach house and then meet you back here alright?" Emily asked Daniel.

Daniel pulled Emily into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Ah another pleasant dinner with the Graysons I guess."

She laughed quietly and put her arms around him. "Well at least there was no attempted murder this time."

"Good point. Thank you for taking care of my sister, she really loves you." Daniel whispered into her ear.

"I really love her too Daniel." Emily replied and thought that it was one of the most honest things she'd ever said to him.

A/N- Wow this was a difficult chapter to get out. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Hey how about we go to The Stowaway for a little while before I take you home?" Emily suggested before pulling out of the Grayson Manor driveway.

Charlotte looked at Emily like she'd just grown another head. "What? No I want to get home and check on Declan as soon as possible."

Emily turned to her sister and pushed a strand of hair behind Charlotte's ear. "Charlotte maybe it would be better to give Declan some time alone. I mean today's his first day out of rehab and he hasn't even had a minute to himself to wrap his head around that. I remember when I first got out of juvie, the world just seemed way too big and overwhelming. I'm sure what Declan's going through must be even harder."

"I know but did you see the look on his face. He was devastated. I can't just let him sit at home and suffer." Charlotte argued.

"I get that you want to help Charlotte but think about it. It's a half mile to the beach house if you go by the road, it's going to take Declan awhile to get home. How do you think he's going to feel to see us drive by him. Let's just go see Jack, we can let him know what happened tonight. It might help Declan to have his brother talk to him." Emily persuaded.

Charlotte bit her lip and looked torn but she finally nodded. "Okay lets give him a little time."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Declan got to the beach house he was drenched with sweat, his hands were blistered, and his chest was on fire along the scar from his heart surgery. Despite all that what was worse was the constant feeling of nothingness that was now the lower half of his body.

He wheeled into the living room and sat staring at his feet willing them with everything he had to move. Just one little twitch, anything to give him some hope. He sat like that until the alarm on his phone broke through his concentration. The shrill alarm was a bitter reminder of everything that had changed in his life.

Declan wheeled over to the automatic chair lift, another one of the modifications Emily had installed, and transferred into it. He pushed the button that raised the chair up the stairs and felt himself getting more frustrated by the slow pace of the lift. Less than five months ago he could have run up the stairs two at a time, now he was forced to sit and brood over his messed up life.

The lift finally reached the top of the stairs and Declan transferred into the wheelchair Emily had bought for him to use on the second floor. It was an exact remake of his other chair, specially built to his measurements. Emily had gone through a lot of work to make sure that everything in the house had been designed to make life as easy as possible for him. It was an enormously generous gift, but right then all of the modifications just seemed like a slap in the face. More reminders of how screwed up his body and his life were.

Once Declan was in his chair he wheeled to his new bedroom, pulled a pair of pajama pants out of his dresser, and moved into the adjoining bathroom. He catheterized himself and then took a long shower in the modified stall. He thought the hot water might make him feel better. Instead the shower just felt like another brick being laid on his shoulders.

Everything he did was different now. Everything was slower and harder and infinitely more frustrating. When his shower was finished he dried himself and did his nightly check for pressure sores. The doctors at the rehab center had drilled it into his head that he had to check the skin on his legs and butt everyday to make sure that he wasn't developing sores from sitting all the time. Since he wouldn't feel it if he got one a sore could easily get infected and make him sick.

As he got ready for bed his mood just grew worse and worse. Each thing he had to do just so he could get in bed and go to sleep pushed him further into the black hole of depression he was sinking in. Finally he was able to transfer into bed, again a process that was maddeningly difficult and slow.

He maneuvered his body until he was laying on his side facing away from the bedroom door and towards a wall. He noticed a slight imperfection on the wall and forced himself to concentrate on it. He tried to make his mind go blank thinking about nothing besides that one spot. Despite his best efforts he still felt hot tears running down his cheeks.

From downstairs he heard the door open and close and he winced knowing that Charlotte was going to come up and want to talk. He didn't want to talk or think, he just wanted to stare at his spot and not feel anything. He chuckled bitterly at that thought. Here he was wishing to not feel anything when all his problems revolved around the fact that he couldn't feel half his body.

He listened to footsteps coming up the stairs followed by a knock on his bedroom door. He refused to respond to the knock.

"Dec are you in there?" Jack called from the other side of the door.

Declan was surprised to hear Jack's voice, but he still refused to answer.

Light flooded into the dark room when Jack opened the door and stepped inside. He walked over to Declan's side of the bed and sat down in his wheelchair so that he could talk to Declan face to face.

"Charlotte and Emily stopped by the bar. They told me what happened, what Conrad said. Declan I'm so sorry that happened to you. Nothing that he said was true, you have to put it out of your head." Jack urged.

Declan said nothing, he didn't even move his eyes away from the spot on the wall. Jack gave Declan's shoulder a squeeze.

"Talk to me Declan, please. I'm worried about you, so is Charlotte."

When Declan again refused to respond Jack sighed and stood up. Declan clenched his jaw and tightened his hands into fists. He hated seeing how easy it was for Jack to just stand up from the wheelchair and walk away, such a simple thing that he couldn't do.

"Fine you don't wanna talk I won't make you. Get some sleep. I'll come back in the morning and we can talk then." Jack said.

Declan kept staring at the wall after Jack left. He was still staring at it after Charlotte came up and tried to get him to talk to her. He was still staring when she finally gave up, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

The next morning when the sun came up and lit up the room he was still staring.

A/N- Hope everyone enjoys this chapter despite the fact that it was totally depressing. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- Man and I thought the last chapter was hard to write, this one was even harder. I promise things will stop being so depressing soon, although there will still be plenty of angst to come. So I never really write song lyrics into my stories, but I would definitely say that this chapter was influenced heavily by the song Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling and Lizzy Hale. So check it out if you want a soundtrack to read to. Thank you everyone who reads and reviews.

Chapter 13

Five days later Declan was still in bed. The only time he moved was every six hours when the damn alarm on his phone would force him back to reality. After the alarm went off he'd transfer to his chair, take care of his bathroom needs, drink some water from the sink, and then climb back in bed. He didn't eat, he barely slept, he mostly just found a random spot to stare at and then let his mind go blissfully blank.

Occasionally people would try to get him to talk. Jack, Charlotte, Nolan, and Emily had all visited and he refused to acknowledge any of them. They'd talk, he'd ignore, and eventually they'd leave and he would go back to feeling nothing.

It was hardest to stay blank at night when Charlotte climbed into bed with him. She would whisper to him in the darkness, begging him to come back to her, and when he wouldn't she would cry quietly to himself. The sounds of her sobs were the only thing that broke through his resolve to not feel anything and while she cried he let himself cry too.

By late morning of the fifth day Jack had finally had enough. He'd tried being patient, giving his brother time to work through his grief on his own, but that didn't seem to be happening. He was done watching his brother grow sicker and skinnier every day. When he walked in to check on Declan that morning he'd noticed that his brother's legs were shacking badly, jolting so hard that it was a wonder Declan didn't fall out of bed. Without a word Jack stormed into the bathroom and checked Declan's medications bottles. Just as he'd feared Declan hadn't been taking any of his medicines, not just the one that helped keep his spasms under control, but also the heart medicines he was still on.

Jack stormed out of the bathroom with such force that the door slammed into the wall and then closed with a bang. Declan didn't even flinch at the noise. Without saying a word Jack walked over and picked Declan up out of bed. Finally he got a reaction out of his little brother.

Declan let out a shriek and fought to get out of Jack's arms. Jack was actually impressed with the amount of fight Declan put up, considering half his body was paralyzed and he hadn't eaten in five days.

"What the hell are you doing?" Declan screamed in Jack's face.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. You haven't been eating or taking your medications. I don't know what else to do." Jack explained.

Declan let out an even louder shriek and fought even harder to get away from Jack. After a few seconds of struggling he managed to twist out of Jack's arms and landed on the floor with a dull thud. He landed face down and didn't bother trying to flip himself over.

Declan lay on the floor, sobbing, and breathing so heavily Jack worried he'd pass out.

"Please just talk to me Dec." Jack plead as he sat down next to his brother.

Declan used his arms to flip over his upper body, Jack quickly untangled Declan's legs for him. Jack winced in sympathy when Declan tried to sit up on his own but couldn't do it. He had to use his arms to prop himself up.

"I just can't do this anymore Jack." He mumbled. "It's too hard."

Jack nodded. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you Declan. I'll never forgive myself for what happened to you. If I could trade places with you I'd do it in a second."

"Yeah but you can't. No one can fix me or change what happened. I'm stuck in this stupid broken body for the rest of my life." Declan whispered.

"I know Dec. The situation sucks. But like you said no one can change what happened. This is your reality now, you have to try and accept it. Because you either accept it and move on or you die and I'm telling you right now dying isn't an option. I love you too much to let that happen and so does Charlotte. She needs you with her Declan. She needs you and your baby is going to need their father, so you have to try and find a way to move on with your life." Jack insisted.

"How?" Declan's question was so earnest and full of pain that Jack felt hot tears sting his eyes. It was obvious that his brother was searching for anything that might take the pain away. Jack hated himself for not having a way to instantly make him feel better.

"I called your counselor from rehab. He wants you to keep having sessions with him on an out patient basis. He also mentioned a support group that meets once a week at the rehab center. He said it's specifically for young men with spinal cord injuries. He thinks it would be a really good fit for you."

"Do you think it will help?" Declan asked hopefully.

"I hope so. I know it sounds selfish Declan but I need you to get past this. I can't lose anyone else. I just can't." Jack admitted.

"I promise I'll try Jack. You're right I mean it might help and I guess it can't get much worse right?" Declan asked.

"Are you kidding with the way you smell right now, no it can't get much worse. Seriously dude take a shower." Jack joked and gave Declan's arm a light punch.

Declan let out a laugh and couldn't believe how good it felt. He didn't even remember the last time he'd really laughed out loud. Jack was right, Declan had two choices, either learn to deal with being a paraplegic or die. As hard as his life was at the moment he didn't want to die. There were too many things he still wanted out of life. He wanted to watch his nephew and his own baby grow up. He wanted to see his brother fall in love and get married again. He wanted to marry Charlotte. If he gave up now what would it do to her?

Declan let out the breath he'd been holding and met Jack's eyes. "I guess I better take a shower then huh?"

Jack shook his head. "No the first thing you're going to do is take every single one of your medications. You can't just stop taking heart medication Declan. Promise me no matter what you will never pull a stunt like that again."

Declan nodded and looked down. "I know it was stupid. Sorry."

Jack stood up and turned to leave the room. "I'm going to get you something to eat."

"Wait." Declan called before Jack walked out of the bedroom. "Aren't you going to help me off the floor?" He asked and gestured down to his legs.

Jack shook his head. "You can do it on your own." He said simply before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Declan knew what Jack was doing. He was forcing him to be independent, which Declan figured he probably needed. But it still didn't make things any easier. Letting out a sigh Declan pulled himself backwards with his arms until he could reach his wheelchair. He straightened his chair out, put on the brakes, and then began the tough process of pulling himself into it from the floor. He regretted having not taken his anti-spasticity medicine for so long. His legs were shaking so hard it had made getting into his chair even harder. He'd gotten pretty good at floor transfers in rehab, but laying in bed and not eating for five days had weakened him more than he'd thought. Still after struggling for almost five minutes he managed to get himself all the way into his chair without help from anyone and though he would never admit it to his brother, he felt proud that he'd done it on his own.

He wheeled into the bathroom, took his medicine, and then stripped off his pajamas so he was left sitting in his wheelchair in just his boxers. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and spun his chair so that he was facing the full length mirror which hung on one wall of the large bathroom. He'd avoided looking in mirrors that showed anything beyond his face since he'd been injured. He didn't want to see how thin and frail his legs had become, but mostly he just didn't want to see himself sitting in a wheelchair. Part of him thought that it wouldn't be real until he actually saw it.

Jack was right though, it was time to get on with things. He'd spent four months pretending that he was fine. He'd even convinced himself that he had accepted everything. The last five days had been proof that he hadn't. All he'd been doing was ignoring reality, not letting himself think about or feel anything that had to do with his disability.

Declan let out the breath he'd been holding and opened his eyes. It wasn't as bad as he'd imagined it to be. It was still him in the reflection, although not eating, sleeping, or showering for nearly a week hadn't done him any favors. He badly needed a shave and he was more pale than he'd ever been in his life. It was weird seeing himself in a wheelchair, but it wasn't the life shattering tragedy he'd imagined it to be. It was still him, still Declan Porter, just sitting down.

After his shower he wheeled back into the bedroom in just a towel and found Charlotte sitting on the bed waiting for him. He noticed a tray of food sitting on the dresser.

He swallowed convulsively and panicked trying to think of something to say. "Charlotte... I..." He stuttered.

He didn't get further than that, Charlotte launched off of the bed and into his lap with such force his chair rocked backwards. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. Her whole body shook with sobs.

"Charlotte please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He murmured into her ear.

She pulled away and stared at him with tear filled, red rimmed eyes. "Promise me you won't ever scare me like that again." She demanded.

"I promise. I'm so sorry I did that to you." He apologized again.

"I'm sorry about what my father said. It was horrible." She said.

Declan shook his head. "Char it wasn't what your dad said. I mean what he said was horrible you're right, but he's a horrible person. I wasn't surprised by him at all. It was just not being able to get up those two stupid steps. I was upset and I wanted to leave and I couldn't because of two stairs. I think it just finally made me face what was happening. All those months in rehab I'd been convincing myself that my life hadn't changed that much. I was sure once I got home things would go back to normal. But they didn't. Everything is different now and I have to get used to a whole new normal. That night at your parents everything I'd tricked myself into believing just came crashing down. I didn't want to face it so I just shut down."

Charlotte nodded and pushed a strand of wet hair off of his forehead before leaning in to kiss him gently. "I get it Declan. I think I've been in denial about all of this too. I kept telling myself that I didn't care that you're in a wheelchair. I said it didn't bother me, but it does. I hate seeing you struggle to do something that should be easy. I hate seeing you hurting. I kept telling myself that once you'd adjusted you'd be the same old Declan. But you won't be because things are different now. Your whole life has changed, so has mine. We're different people now."

"So does the different you still want to be with the different me?" He asked fearfully.

"Declan the only thing that hasn't changed is how much I love you." She assured him.

He pulled her in for a kiss, but she stopped him. "Actually no that's a lie. All of this has made me love you even more."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Seriously why did I think this was a good idea?" Declan complained as he critically examined his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Charlotte chuckled and came up to stand beside him, giving her own reflection the same dubious look he was giving his own. "Hey this was your idea remember? I was against it from the beginning. At least they didn't have to design a whole new uniform for you."

Declan adjusted the tie of his Collins Prep uniform and then turned away from the mirror. "You look beautiful Char, don't worry about it." He encouraged as he placed both of his hands on her expanding stomach and then planted a kiss near her belly button.

She gave him a disbelieving snort and walked back into their bedroom to put on her shoes. Declan followed her and took a moment to check through his backpack, making sure he had everything he needed for his first day of classes.

It had been two weeks since the day Jack had confronted him and forced him to finally start accepting his disability. It hadn't been an easy two weeks by any means, he'd been forced to confront a lot of emotions that he'd been burying inside up to that point. But between his counselor,the guys he'd met in group therapy, plus the support of Jack and Charlotte he felt like he was actually beginning to turn a corner with his recovery.

Collins Prep had been understanding about him having to push back he and Charlotte's return to school, but after two weeks of healing it was time to get back to living. Which meant going back to school no matter how nervous he was.

"You ready for this?" He asked Charlotte when she was finished with her shoes.

"Not really." She admitted. "You?"

"Not even a little bit, but lets do it anyway." Declan answered and gave her a teasing grin which never failed to get her heart fluttering.

The couple left the house and got into the brand new SUV which Nolan had bought them. Declan hadn't wanted to take the vehicle, it seemed too much like charity. But Nolan had told him it was a baby gift since they had to have a way of getting around once they had an infant. He'd also said that since they'd accepted a house from Emily they could suck it up and accept a car from him.

Not that Declan didn't appreciate the gesture. It was obvious that Nolan had done his research when picking the vehicle out. It had plenty of room for both an infant seat and Declan's wheelchair in the backseat and it was easy for Declan to transfer into and out of it. He'd also had hand controls installed so that Declan could drive. It had taken Declan a few days to get used to a new way of driving, but once he'd gotten the hang of it he found that the hand controls were actually very easy.

Neither of them spoke on the way to school. Both of them were lost in their own fears and insecurities of going back to school. Declan pulled into a handicapped spot in front of the school and then began the process of getting his wheelchair out and reassembling it. He knew it would be faster if he let Charlotte put his chair together, but he wouldn't let her help. He was determined to get back as much independence as he possibly could and being able to drive anywhere on his own was a big part of that.

He noticed quite a few students stopping to openly stare at him while he transferred into his chair, but he ignored it. There were always going to be people who stared at him, he just had to get used to it and move on. He met Charlotte at the front of the vehicle and gave her an encouraging smile. She looked more nervous than he felt.

"Hey everything's going to be fine." He encouraged and pulled her down to plant a quick kiss on her lips.

She gave him a jerky nod and tried to smile, but failed miserably. "Come on let's get this over with."

Declan was pleasantly surprised to find that it was much easier going back to school than he'd imagined it to be. The school was well equipped for handicapped students so he had no problems with accessibility. His teachers all seemed genuinely happy to have him back and none of them treated him any differently than they had before. There were a lot of stares and every time he wheeled into a room conversation tended to suddenly stop, but he figured once people got used to him those things would end.

He unfortunately had no classes with Charlotte and didn't even see her until lunch. In the cafeteria he got himself a sandwich and drink and put the tray on his lap so he could wheel into the dining room to look for Charlotte. He found her sitting at a table in the corner of the room by herself.

"Hey Dec." She muttered under her breath, barely glancing up when he pulled up to the table.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Declan asked.

She shrugged and took a sip of her water, still not looking at him. Declan took her hand and pulled it up so that he could kiss her palm.

"Come on I know something is up. What happened?" He pushed.

"It's just people being stupid, you know? Everyone stares at me and whispers about me behind my back. All of my friends graduated last semester and the ones who are still here aren't talking to me anymore and Jackson Curtis said..." She trailed off.

"What did he say?" Declan asked, his heart sinking. He'd had a class last year with Jackson and knew what a jerk the guy could be.

Charlotte shook her head and wiped a tear off of her cheek.

"Please tell me." He pressed.

"He said, he said, that it was a good thing I'm a slut and let you knock me up when you did since now you're a cripple who can't get it up." She revealed, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Hey don't let it bother you Charlotte. That guys an asshole. Who cares what he said?" Declan comforted.

"It doesn't bother you? She asked.

He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Nah. The guys an idiot, I'm not surprised he'd say something stupid and offensive. Plus you aren't hearing the most important part of what he said."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"The fact that I knocked you up. I got the hottest girl in school pregnant and now she's marrying. Clearly I win." He joked.

She burst out laughing and reached over to hug him. "Clearly." She agreed.

"Alright I have to go to the bathroom and cath before class. I'll see you after school?" Declan asked as he wheeled out from the table.

She nodded and gave him a genuine smile. "See you then."

Just as Declan exited the handicapped stall Jackson Curtis walked into the bathroom. Declan took his time washing his hands at the sink while Jackson used the urinal.

"Hey Jackson." Declan called when the other guy started to leave.

"What's up Porter?" Jackson asked turning back around.

"I heard you said something to Charlotte about me earlier?" Declan mentioned casually.

Jackson looked down at his shoes, his face turning red. "Look man I shouldn't have called you a cripple. Sorry."

Declan smiled. "I don't give a crap what you called me. I mean I am a cripple you didn't say anything that wasn't true."

Jackson finally looked up and smiled, feeling like he'd gotten away with something. He didn't think anything of it when Declan wheeled right up to him. Without warning Declan's hand shot up and grabbed the collar of Jackson's shirt. With a surprisingly strong yank he pulled Jackson down so that they were face to face.

"Call me whatever you want, but you call Charlotte a slut again and chair or no chair I'll kick your ass. You understand?" Declan hissed between clenched teeth. He let go of Jackson's shirt and gave him a shove backwards.

Jackson stood up and stared wide eyed at Declan. He clenched his fists and took a step forward like he was going to hit Declan.

"You really wanna hit a guy in a wheelchair? Just think of what that'll do to your reputation." Declan pointed out.

Jackson's mouth opened and closed like he was a fish out of water. He finally whipped around and left the bathroom, muttering under his breath as he went. As Declan wheeled to his next class he couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Charlotte met Declan at the SUV after school and he was glad to see that she looked to be in much better spirits than she had at lunch.

"So we survived the first day of school." He stated once they were buckled in. "Was the afternoon better?"

She nodded. "I guess so. There were still comments but I figure if you can be cool about it then so can I. Plus I noticed during Calculus that Jackson Curtis seemed terrified to even be in the same room with me. Do you maybe know why that is?"

Declan shrugged and started the vehicle. "No idea, maybe you're just a lot more intimidating than you thought."

Charlotte gave him a knowing smile but didn't comment. She figured whatever had happened would stay between him and Jackson, but at least the jerk didn't seem to be bothering her anymore.

"Well we survived school but do you think we're gonna survive tonight?" She asked.

Declan groaned. "Do we really have to go? We could stay at home, have dinner, take a bath." He enticed.

"Nice try but we promised Nolan we'd go to his house warming party and by we I mean you promised him we'd come to his party." She teased.

"Well the guy had just given me a brand new SUV what was I going to do, say no?"

"I guess you have a point there. At least you have that hot new suit to wear." She said like she thought that a new suit would get him excited.

"Do I really have to wear a suit?" He whined.

"Hey you get to wear an amazing suit that I picked out for you and I have to wear a stupid maternity dress. Lets concentrate on who really has it worse here. Plus there's a very good chance my mother will be there. You might get lucky and she'll ignore you, I don't even have that hope."

Declan burst out laughing at Charlotte's pointed comment about her mom.

"You're right this party is definitely going to be worse for you." He conceded.

Two hours later they pulled up in front of the amazing house that Emily had purchased for Nolan. Declan was dressed in the suit that Charlotte had bought for him and he hated to admit it but he looked damn good. Charlotte despite her insecurities looked beautiful in the empire-waist blue maternity dress she'd picked out with Emily.

The party was insanely opulent, Declan couldn't believe half the stuff he was seeing, although Charlotte didn't look too impressed. The differences between growing up a Grayson and growing up as anyone else Declan figured. They'd barely made it to the pool area when Nolan hurried up to them looking intense.

"Oh god you're here already, I tried calling you both, answer your cell phones next time!" Nolan exclaimed, his words running together with how quickly he was speaking.

"Nolan slow down. What's the problem?" Declan asked.

"Charlotte your mom is here." Nolan started.

Charlotte groaned and nodded. "Yeah I figured she'd be here."

"She's not here alone. Aiden is with her and so is..."

"Charlotte!" Victoria called as she stepped through the crowd, interrupting Nolan.

"Mother." Charlotte said coldly.

"Dear I know you're angry with your father and I, but there's someone I want you to meet." Victoria stated and turned to the handsome man behind her.

"Charlotte this is your half brother Patrick." Victoria introduced.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The night of Nolan's house warming party Jack found Emily sitting on the beach. She was staring out at the ocean sitting in a spot where they had played as children. He'd seen the public fight she'd had with Aiden earlier that evening, but he knew that it was all part of the plan. Aiden was still as devoted to helping Emily as he'd ever been. Jack knew that Emily had feelings for Aiden, but he was pretty sure she had feelings for him as well. He figured it was time they finally figured out where they stood.

"So that was quite the party, Nolan really goes all out doesn't he?" Jack asked from behind her. She didn't flinch or jump at the sound of his voice and Jack idly wondered how long she'd known he was standing there.

"You know Nolan. I'm pretty sure his motto is go big or go home." She answered.

Jack sat down in the sand beside her and turned to study Emily's profile. The moon was full that night and it gave him the perfect amount of light to see her. Her hair was silvery in the moonlight and hung down in her face in gentle curls. He wanted to run his hands through her hair to see if it was as soft as it looked.

"So Aidens back. You must be happy." He brought up awkwardly.

She smiled a little and shook her head. "I don't know if happy is the word I'd use. It's complicated."

"Is there anything in your life that isn't?" He asked only half joking.

She laughed and leaned over to bump her shoulder against his. "True."

"Well you bring it on yourself you know. Don't you ever just want to give up on the revenge idea and just go live your life?" Jack asked.

She nodded and the smile faded from her lips. "All the time actually." She admitted.

"So why don't you?"

She sighed and finally turned to look at him. "Because I started all of this Jack. I started this ball rolling and now so many people have been hurt. If I hadn't come here to get revenge then Amanda would still be alive and Declan would still be walking. If I give up now then all of that pain I caused will have been for nothing."

"What happened to Amanda and Declan wasn't your fault." He insisted.

She shook her head and Jack was shocked to see tears running down her cheeks. "It was my fault Jack. I got Amanda killed and Declan can't walk and everything is because of me."

She was sobbing now her breath hitching in and out roughly.

"You should hate me Jack. Why don't you hate me?" She cried. "Please hate me, I deserve it."

Jack leaned forward suddenly and pressed his lips to hers, cutting off her cries. She didn't respond for a second and Jack was afraid he'd crossed a line. But soon her hands came up and wound around her neck, her fingers twisting in his hair. She moaned into his mouth and pressed her body closer to his.

They kissed for a long time. Finally stopping when the wind picked up and began spraying them with freezing ocean mist. He stood and put out a hand to pull her up. They both brushed sand off of their jeans and then stood in uncomfortable silence, neither sure what to say.

"Emily I'm going to be honest with you." Jack finally started. "I care about you and I want to be with you. I think maybe you want the same. But I'm not going to share you with Aiden or Daniel or anyone else."

Emily was quiet for a long time. So long in fact that Jack began to feel really stupid about what he'd said and was preparing for her to shoot him down.

"I want to be with you too Jack, but I have to finish this." She finally said.

He grabbed both her shoulders and pulled her so that they were facing each other. "I'm not asking you to stop Emily."

"Then you'll have to be accept me pretending to be with Daniel. At least for awhile." She countered.

"It's not real with him is it? I mean you don't actually have feelings for him do you?" Jack asked.

"Not anymore. For awhile I thought maybe there was something there, but anything I may have felt was gone the second he stood behind his father once he knew the truth." She insisted.

"And Aiden?" He asked.

"It's always been you Jack. Since we were kids, it's always been you." She whispered as she stretched up on her toes to kiss him.

A/N- So short, sweet, and fluffy. I figured it would be a nice break from the last few chapters. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Oh she just never gives up!" Charlotte screeched as she stomped down the stairs of the beach house.

Declan looked up from the floor where he was doing the stretches his physical therapist had asked him to do everyday. "I take it you're talking about your mom?" He asked.

"Oh course. She wants me to join her and Patrick for lunch. So I can get to know my new brother. Those were her exact words. Like I'm just going to forget the way they treated you, not to mention everything else, and just welcome a total stranger into my life as my new brother." She exclaimed as she angrily stuffed her phone into her purse.

"Well maybe you should give him a chance. I mean he seemed like a nice guy yesterday at the house warming." Declan proposed.

"Yeah like I need anymore family. Have you met the ones I already have?" She grumbled sarcastically.

"Maybe Patrick could be the kind of family you'd actually want to have." He suggested.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and gave Declan a frustrated look."You know I'm pregnant and hormonal. A smart man would just agree with me without being all logical about the situation."

She walked over to where Declan was sitting and attempted to lean down and give him a kiss. They both laughed when she couldn't bend down over her stomach far enough to reach him. "Alright Emily and I are going shopping for maternity clothes. I'll give you an actual kiss later." She promised as she blew him a kiss and walked out the door.

Declan flipped over onto his stomach and started doing push ups. It felt weird doing them without being able to use his legs to hold up his lower body, but the burn in his arms told him they were still effective.

A hundred and fifty push ups later Declan's arms were on fire and he fell onto his stomach. A few seconds went by while he attempted to catch his breath and then Declan heard a knock at his front door.

"Come in." He shouted, figuring it was much faster to let the person come in than to make them wait for him to get into his wheelchair and open the door.

"Hello?" Conrad's voice called out from the doorway.

"In here." Declan called as he turned back over and started scooting to his chair.

"Do you need help Declan? Did you fall?" Conrad asked, hurrying over to Declan's side in an attempt to help.

Declan waved a hand at Conrad to stop him. "No sir I'm fine. I was doing my physical therapy, stretches and stuff you know." He explained.

Declan had reached his wheelchair by then. He checked to make sure the brakes were on, pulled his legs up so that his knees were pressed to his chest, and then using one arm on the ground and the other on one wheel he transferred himself into his chair. He was getting better at floor transfers but he still fell about half the time and had to try again, he was thankful that this was not one of those times. He didn't need to look anymore pathetic in front of Conrad.

"Charlotte isn't here." Declan informed Conrad as he wheeled to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Actually it was you I came here to see." Conrad explained as he took a seat on the couch.

"Me?" Declan asked, shocked. He wheeled over to face Conrad and locked the brakes of his chair before taking a long drink from the water bottle.

"I can't believe you'd want to waste your time talking to a cripple." He snapped when he was finished drinking.

Conrad raised an eyebrow and leaned back on the couch. "I guess I deserve that after what I said."

It was Declan's turn to raise an eye brow, which he did giving Conrad a glare that clearly said he did in fact deserve it.

"That's actually why I wanted to come talk to you today Declan. I'm sorry about what I said over dinner. I never intended for you to over hear it."

"So it would have been ok if I hadn't heard you call me a cripple who isn't good enough for your daughter?" Declan asked sarcastically.

"No of course not. I came here today to apologize for what I said. It was uncalled for and out of line. I spoke out of anger and I'm sorry that what I said was so hurtful." Conrad spoke sincerely and if Declan hadn't found out the truth about who exactly was sitting across from him he would have believed every word of Conrad's apology.

"Spoken out of anger?" Declan asked.

"Well son you did get my seventeen year old daughter pregnant. I appreciate that you want to do the right thing by her and get married, but you can't blame me for being upset about it. Honestly you aren't the man I would have ever imagined Charlotte ending up with and I suppose what I said was a result of that." Conrad answered.

Declan nodded, that much at least he could understand. "I can understand that. I'm sorry that Charlotte and I weren't more responsible, but I can't say I'm sorry that she's pregnant. We're both excited to become parents."

"I'm glad that you're both excited, but being excited is the easy part. Have you two discussed how you're going to support this baby? I commend you both for going back to school but a high school diploma isn't going to get you a job that will support a child."

"I- we really haven't come up with a plan yet. Maybe go to college, I can get grants to go to school because of my disability." Declan suggested.

Conrad nodded. "College is important, but with a child you don't have the luxury of waiting to get a good job. Which is the main reason I've come here today. I'd like to offer you a job Declan."

Declan figured he must have heard Conrad wrong. "You want to give me a job? Doing what? Mixing drinks at your country club?"

Conrad chuckled. "No I'd like to offer you a paid internship at Grayson Global. You'll be starting at the bottom, it will mostly be paper pushing. But it pays well and we can work around college classes. If you get a degree in business I'll make sure there's a place for you at Grayson Global as a stockbroker."

Declan didn't know what to say. "Um I've never considered becoming a stockbroker."

"Maybe it's time to start considering it. It's a job that will provide your family with a stable lifestyle. What were your plans before you had your accident?"

Declan felt his face growing red and he gripped his wheels tightly out of anger. Conrad was calling what happened to him an accident? Even if he hadn't been directly responsible for the bombing it was still no accident. Declan forced himself to look calm as he pushed the anger deep down inside himself. If he wanted to help Jack and Emily take down the Graysons this was the perfect way to do it. Working for Conrad might give him access to information that could be useful.

"I hadn't really made many plans before I got hurt. I guess I figured I'd just work at the bar with Jack. Maybe get a job on a boat during the summers." Declan finally answered.

Conrad nodded like he had already known Declan hadn't made any grand plans for his life. "I'm assuming that bar tending and working on a fishing boat aren't options anymore?" Conrad said and gestured towards Declan's legs.

"Not really." Declan admitted.

"Then why not come work for me? You'll be making enough money to support Charlotte and a baby, you can go to college, and when you've graduated you'll have a very promising career waiting for you." Conrad persuaded.

"Are you sure you want me working there? I don't exactly have any experience." Declan asked.

"So you'll learn from the ground up. I prefer it like that. That way I know you've been trained correctly." Conrad stated.

"Alright I guess I could give it a try. Do you want me to start right away?" Declan asked.

"There's no rush. Why don't you start after the baby has been born. You have enough going on in your life right now."

Conrad stood up and offered his hand to Declan. Declan shook his hand despite the fact that it made his skin crawl to do so. The handshake made Declan feel like he was making a deal with the devil himself, but if it was a way to put the bastard behind bars then he would gladly do it.

"I'd better be going. I'm glad we were able to work things out and I hope it means that we can all go back to being friendly. I know Victoria has been beside herself about Charlotte not speaking to her." Conrad said.

Declan flipped the brakes on his chair and wheeled backward so that Conrad could get by him. Once the older man was gone Declan let out a long breath of air and did his best to wrap his head around everything that had happened. He knew there was no way Conrad was giving him a job out of the kindness of his heart. Declan was fairly sure Conrad didn't even have a heart. If he was offering him a job then there must be something in it for Conrad. No matter how hard he thought about it Declan just couldn't come up with a reason for it. He decided that his best bet was to let Emily know what was happening. Maybe she would see something he didn't in the situation.

The real problem he knew was telling Charlotte that he was going to be working for her father. He only hoped that an afternoon of shopping left her in a good mood.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Why in God's name would you offer him a job?" Victoria shouted at Conrad.

"Because my dear, he's planning on marrying our daughter and I'd like to know that he will be able to provide for her and our grandchild." Conrad explained.

Victoria laughed sarcastically. "You expect me to believe that you're doing this out of a concern for Charlotte? Try again Conrad."

Conrad walked to the small bar in his office and poured himself a scotch. He took a long drink before turning back to his wife. "We both know that Jack Porter knows too much. The entire point of getting him to Grayson Global before the bombing was to try and solve that problem. Clearly we can't take him out now that he and Declan are in the public eye. The world is watching our family now that I'm Governor and everyone is well aware of the fact that Declan and Charlotte are involved. Add that to the fact that Declan was hurt so tragically in the bombing and we can't very well just ignore the Porter brothers. So we can't take them out and we can't ignore them, that leaves me the option of keeping them close. Obviously I can't do that with Jack so I'll keep Declan as close as I can and perhaps use him to eventually get rid of his brother."

"Well Conrad no one can say you aren't clever. Although I can't imagine how you can even look that boy in the eye after what you did to him." Victoria mused.

"It was an accident Victoria, he never should have been there in the first place." Conrad snapped.

Before Victoria could reply Conrad waved her away. "I don't have time to discuss this further, Emily is unveiling my portrait tomorrow at her Memorial Day party and I have a speech to prepare.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"No Declan this is insane! You can't do this!" Charlotte shouted.

"Charlotte be reasonable. I need a job, we're having baby we need a steady income. Plus if I work for your father's company I might be able to find something that will help Emily. Isn't that what we want? To end this, to punish the people who hurt us and the people we love?" Declan countered.

"It is, but this is too dangerous. We both know that my father wouldn't give you a job just to be nice. He's planning something and we don't even know what it is." She argued.

A knock on the door stopped the argument before it could get really heated. "Hey you guys here?" Jack called, sticking his head in through the door.

"We're here, come in." Charlotte instructed without moving her glaring eyes from Declan.

Jack walked in followed by Emily and they gave each other a significant glance when they felt the tense atmosphere of the room.

"Everything ok?" Jack asked as he clapped a hand on Declan's shoulder as means of greeting.

"No your brother has done something extremely stupid and he expects me to be fine with it." Charlotte snapped, still glaring at Declan.

"What did you do?" Jack asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I-" Declan started but was interrupted by Charlotte.

"He is going to go to work at my father's company!" She exclaimed.

Jack and Emily both turned to stare at Declan, matching looks of disbelief on their faces.

"You agreed to work for Conrad?" Emily asked.

Declan nodded and turned away from Charlotte to face Jack and Emily. "He came here yesterday and offered me an paid internship. He said he'll let me work while I go to college and if I graduate with a business degree he'll give me a job as a stockbroker."

"Declan you can't be stupid enough to think that this offer is on the up and up. Conrad has some ulterior motive for this." Jack warned.

Declan nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yes Jack it occurred to me that Conrad was doing this for some sort of selfish and most likely evil reason. I just thought if I was working at Grayson Global I could maybe be in a position to help Emily with her revenge plot. Who knows what kind of stuff I could find out."

Jack shook his head and looked to Emily. "Would you please tell my idiot brother that this is a terrible idea and that you don't need his help?"

Emily was quiet for a few seconds and seemed to be sizing Declan up. "Actually I think maybe he could be helpful." She answered honestly.

"What? Emily you can't be serious. Are you really willing to put Declan in danger just so you can get even with my father?" Charlotte accused.

Emily looked upset and a little shocked at Charlotte's accusation. "No of course not. But let's think about this logically. Conrad is Governor now, he's extremely interested in public opinion. Since the bombing everyone knows about Declan and what happened to him. I highly doubt Conrad offered him a job to hurt him. He probably did it for the good publicity. I can almost guarantee that he'll mention giving Declan a job tomorrow during his speech after I unveil his portrait tomorrow."

"So you really think that he's doing this just to look good?" Declan asked.

Emily nodded as she took a seat in the living room. "I think he's doing it for that and he's probably doing it to keep you close. He knows Jack has information on him that could send him to jail. But I doubt after everything that's happened he's willing to try and kill Jack again. It would look too suspicious and could point back to him. So he's probably going to try use Declan to get information on Jack, maybe even use Declan to somehow keep Jack quiet."

"So if we know all of this isn't it a good thing if I go to work for Conrad. If we know what he's doing we can use it against him." Declan pointed out.

"I think so yes." Emily agreed.

Charlotte and Jack looked unconvinced but not as angry as they had been.

"Fine but promise me you'll be careful." Charlotte finally relented as she walked over to Declan.

He took one of her hands and kissed it. "I promise I will be careful. Plus I mean what could go wrong? He tries to blow me up again?"

Jack, Emily, and Charlotte all stared at him. "It was a joke guys." He snickered. None of them seemed to find it funny.

"So was there a reason you guys are here?" Declan asked when it became clear no one else thought he was funny.

"We actually came over to let you guys know about what's happening tomorrow." Jack answered.

"Tomorrow?" Charlotte asked.

Emily nodded and scooted over so that Charlotte could take a seat beside her. "Tomorrow at the Memorial Day party I'm going to slip something into your father's drink. It's going to cause confusion, loss of muscle control, and then unconsciousness. Once he's taken to the hospital Conrad is going to find out that he's suffering from Huntington's disease. I'm going to forge his medical tests to show that he's tested positive for the disease."

"My grandfather had that." Charlotte mentioned.

"I know that's why I'm confident he'll believe it. Huntington's is genetic so it won't come out of nowhere that he's got it." Emily explained.

"So what's the point of making him think he's sick?" Declan asked.

"There are three reasons actually. I'm hoping it will force him to give up the governorship which we all know he doesn't deserve and shouldn't have. I'm also planning to use it to get close to him. I'll play the sympathetic future daughter in law who helps him through this crisis. That will give me the opportunity to work on the last part of the plan. If Conrad believes he's dying I'm hoping I can encourage him to clear his conscience before he dies and admit to everything that he's done."

"Do you really think my father would ever do that?" Charlotte asked skeptically.

Emily shrugged. "If he thinks he's dying and has nothing to lose then it might be possible."

"You guys are going to the party tomorrow right?" Jack asked.

They both nodded in response.

"So just remember you both need to seem shocked and upset about him collapsing. It has to look real." He warned.

"We can do that." Charlotte assured them.

"And Charlotte it would help if you could pretend to forgive your father. Make him think that since he's dying you want to put everything behind you and be with him in his final days. It might help to convince him to confess if you could help influence him too. Do you think you can do that?" Emily asked.

"If it means getting all of this over with and giving my father what he deserves then I can do it." Charlotte assured her sister confidently.

"Okay so tomorrow we start making Conrad believe he's dying. This should be interesting." Emily mused.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As the afternoon of Emily's party wore on Declan came to the realization that he never wanted to be famous. It was the first time he'd really been in pulic since the bombing and it seemed everyone from the Hamptons knew about him. He was overwhelmed by the amount of people who felt the need to speak to him, most of them strangers. The majority of people simply gave him condolences for what had happened and wished him luck in the future. A few though pressed to find out about the bombing, prying for details about one of the worst days of his life. He avoided the questions by simply claiming that he had no memories of that day.

This wasn't true, though he wished it was. He remembered very clearly looking around the empty offices calling for Charlotte. He rememberd the deafening explosion and the feeling of a wall of heat throwing him across the room. He could perfectly recall the pain when debris slammed into what felt like every inch of his body. Then everything was quiet aside from the high pitched ringing in his ears. His chest burned like someone had shoved a branding iron through his sternum. Mostly he remembered the helpless feeling of being alone and in agony.

He hated the people who brought these memories to the front of his mind, he would prefer to never think about that day again.

"You alright?" Charlotte asked sympathetically when she saw the pain etched on his face.

He nodded and reached up to take her hand. "Yeah it's just weird having all these people know who I am and what happened to me."

She nodded and leaned down to plant a kiss on his lips. "Trust me I know how it feels to have total strangers know about your life. It sucks."

"I guess that is something you'd understand really well." He agreed.

Charlotte put a hand on Declan's shoulder and leaned heavily into him. He glanced up at Charlotte and noticed that she was pale and sweating. "What's wrong?" He asked, instantly worried.

"It's just hot out here." She explained, shaking her head to indicate it wasn't a big deal.

"You should get off your feet for awhile and get out of the sun. Come on." He ordered as he led her to an empty table in the shade.

"You stay here and I'll go get you a bottle of water." He instructed before wheeling away.

It was crowded near the bar and after he'd gotten Charlotte's bottle of water he accidentally hit someone while backing his chair up.

"Sorry." He apologized as he turned around to see who'd he run over.

He was surprised to find Patrick standing behind him looking just as uncomfortable as Declan felt.

"No problem." He said after a few seconds. "You're Charlotte's boyfriend aren't you? We kind of met at Nolan's house warming party."

Declan nodded and held out a hand to Patrick. "Yeah I'm Declan."

"Is Charlotte here?" Patrick asked as he shook Declan's hand. "I'd like to speak to her, maybe try to get to know her a little better."

Declan was torn. He knew Charlotte didn't want to talk to Patrick, but Declan couldn't very well lie and say she wasn't at the party. There was a good possibility that Patrick would see her at some point.

"Uh yeah she's over here, but I really don't think she wants to talk to you. No offense it's not you, she's just really not wanting anything to do with her family right now." Declan explained and nodded a head in Charlotte's direction.

"Do you mind if I try? I promise I won't upset her." Patrick plead.

Declan nodded and lead Patrick back to the table. Charlotte glanced up as Declan wheeled to her and the raised her eyes to take in who was standing behind him and her face instantly screwed up into a scowl. She swiped the water bottle from Declan's hand when he offered it to her, clearly angry that he'd brought Patrick over.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

Patrick winced a little at her obvious hatred of him. "I just thought maybe we could get to know each other a little. I am your brother after all."

"Half brother." Charlotte corrected. "Plus it's not like we've ever met before, you're a stranger to me."

"I know, but I was hoping we could change that. I don't really have any family and I'd like to get to know you. I'm a good guy I promise."

Charlotte gave him a sardonic laugh. "Well then if I were you I'd run as fast and as far as I could. Good people tend to get hurt or killed when they associate with this family. Just ask Declan."

"Yeah mom told me what happened to Declan. That really sucks man. I'm sorry." Patrick said looking down at Declan with a look of pity.

Declan shrugged. "Thanks." He replied simply, he never knew what to say when people expressed their sympathy.

"Please Charlotte just give me five minutes to talk. Maybe I can change your mind about me." Patrick asked.

"Fine five minutes. " Charlotte relented.

"Well I'll let you two talk then, I'm going to go find Jack." Declan stated and wheeled away before Charlotte could reply.

He found Jack and Emily talking quietly with each other near the covered portrait of Conrad. Their heads were tilted towards each other and they both had soft smiles on their faces. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were very much into each other, which he figured wasn't good considering Emily was supposed to be with Daniel.

Declan pushed his chair so that he wheeled right between the two of them, effectively ending their intimate chat.

"You guys might want to cool it if you don't want Daniel to get suspicious." He warned.

"He's distracted talking to Margaux LeMarschal, but you're right we need to be more careful." Emily agreed and stepped away from Jack, her mind instantly snapping back to the task at hand.

"So when is the big thing happening?" Declan asked and pointed to the sky.

Emily and Jack both looked up to the clouds. "Should be any second now." Emily revealed.

Just as Emily predicted less than a minute later an excited murmur stirred through the crowd as people began pointing to the sky. Declan looked up to see Nolan skydiving towards the party. The excited murmurs turned to louder exclamations and shouts from Conrad's body guards as they ran to surround Nolan as he landed.

In true Nolan Ross fashion he brushed aside the yelling guards and stripped off his flight suit to reveal a flashy suit underneatj. Emily pushed her way through the crowd and shouted at Nolan. Declan watched and was barely able to see the moment when Nolan slipped Emily a small medicine vial.

Twenty minutes later Emily stood at the podium and presented the portrait of Conrad. The audience applauded politely as Conrad took Emily's place at the podium to give his speech.

"Well first of all I'd like to offer each and everyone of you the warmest of welcomes from this lovely location and from the office of the..." Conrad began and then stammered to a stop.

Declan watched as Conrad gripped the podium and attempted to continue with his speech. He managed to get out a small apology before collapsing to the ground. Declan reminded himself to plaster a look of shock across his face, which was hard considering seeing Conrad passed out on the ground made him want to smile.

Charlotte hurried to his side and together they watched as the crowd of people were pushed to the side by Conrad's body guards. Within a few minutes an ambulance arrived, loaded Conrad onto a stretcher, and left for the hospital.

"I guess we better follow them to the hospital. I have to play the concerned daughter after all." Charlotte said.

He gave her hand a squeeze and sighed. "I guess so." He agreed as the two of them headed towards their vehicle.

"Oh come on." Declan groaned later that evening as the battery on his cell phone died. He'd been sitting in the waiting room of the hospital for over two hours and the games on his phone had been the only thing keeping him entertained.

Declan put his phone away and scanned the waiting room, the only person waiting beside himself was Patrick. Apparently Daniel had made it very clear that Patrick was not welcome to be back with the Grayson family. Declan supposed he could have accompanied Charlotte to her father's room, but he'd used the excuse that just family should be with Conrad. The true reason he hadn't wanted to be there was that he simply didn't want to have to pretend to worry over the man he hated so much.

He didn't have to check the clock to know that it had to be after six in the evening. The pain running through his chest and back and the spasms in his legs told him he was past due for his medications. He let out a groan of pain as he used his arms to lift himself out of the chair slightly so that he could stretch his back and relieve the pressure on his legs and butt from sitting.

Patrick looked up with concern at the sound of Declan's pain.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Declan nodded. "Yeah I'm just overdue on my pain medicine, my back is killing me." He admitted. Suddenly his left leg started bouncing violently with a spasm. Declan pressed both his hands down onto his knee in an attempt to hold his leg still. When he looked up he could see that Patrick had a strange look on his face. "I'm over due for my antispasicity medicine too." He explained.

"I uh- I thought you couldn't move your legs?" Patrick asked, sounding extremely uncomfortable.

"Yeah I can't move voluntarily, but they still spasm on their own. I can't control it. It's a really common side effect of paralysis. I take medicine that helps stop them, but like I said I should have taken my medicine like two hours ago." Declan explained as he continued to try and calm his twitching leg down.

Patrick's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Declan and he obviously felt distressed for the younger man. "Do you want a ride home or something so that you can take your medicine?" Patrick offered.

"I've got my own car here, I can get myself home thanks." Declan explained.

He wheeled back to the room where Conrad was waiting on test results. He opened the door and waved to Charlotte so that she would follow him out to the hallway.

"I'm sorry this is taking so long." She apologized as she ducked out of the room.

"It's fine, but I need to go home and take my meds. Do you want to come with me?" He responded.

Charlotte looked between Declan and the room where her family was waiting. "I think I better stay, the test results haven't come back yet. It might look weird if I left before we found out what's wrong. Which is strange considering I already know what the tests are going to say. You go home and I'll get a ride with Daniel or Emily." She instructed as she leaned down to kiss Declan.

Declan stretched up to meet her for the kiss but then hissed in pain and slumped back in his chair. Both his legs began shaking worse than they had been and his back seized up in a knot of fiery pain. His back arched involuntarily and he struggled to pull in a breath through the tight band of pain in wrapping around his chest.

Charlotte knelt down beside him and wrapped a hand around his wrist. "Declan!" She exclaimed. "I'm going to get a doctor." She fretted.

Declan shook his head and used every ounce of strength he had to relax his muscles and slump back into his chair. "No don't get a doctor. I just need to take my meds and get out of my chair for awhile. I've been sitting all day and haven't had a chance to stretch out at all. I swear I'll be fine once I can lay down at home." Declan assured her, desperate to keep her from getting a doctor.

Charlotte studied him skeptically. "Are you sure? You look awful Dec."

"I promise I'll be fine once I get home." He assured her stubbornly.

She studied him for a few seconds before sighing loudly, obviously frustrated with him. "Fine but you can't drive home. Give me a minute and I'll drive you home and then come back."

"That's alright, you stay here. Patrick is still in the waiting room and he already offered to give me a ride. I'll see you once you get home okay?" He asked.

She still looked reluctant to let him leave but finally she nodded and stood up, giving him a kiss as she did. "Fine but promise me you'll take your medicine and lay down as soon as you get home." She ordered.

He rolled his eyes. "I can take care of myself you know." He snapped, but gave her a quick smile to show he wasn't really angry.

"Yeah yeah I know you're superman. Now go home and take care of yourself." She quipped before she slipped back into her father's room.

Declan returned to the waiting room and was relieved to see that Patrick was still there. "Hey do you mind if I take you up on that ride? I don't think I should be driving right now." He asked and looked pointedly down to his shaking legs.

Patrick nodded quickly and jumped out of his seat. "Yeah of course."

Declan followed Patrick to the parking lot and his heart sank when he saw that Patrick drove a pickup truck. A truck that was clearly way too high for him to transfer into on his own, especially while his legs were spasming so badly.

"Um I'll need some help getting in there if you don't mind." Declan explained as he wheeled to the passenger's side of the truck.

"Sure." Patrick said and quickly moved to Declan's side.

By putting one arm around Patrick's shoulders Declan was able to pull himself into the truck without much trouble and he was grateful that he hadn't needed more help from a man he barely knew.

By the time they got to the beach house Declan's back was so knotted that he could barely move to transfer out of the truck even with Patrick's help. He clamped his lips shut to keep from making any noise, but a whimper of pain still managed to sneak out when he began wheeling up the ramp that led into the house. Without saying anything Patrick hurried up behind Declan and pushed him to the top. Normally someone pushing his chair without asking him first would anger Declan but just then the only thing he felt was relief at not having to get up the incline on his own.

"Thanks." He muttered breathlessly as he tried to unlock the door. His hands were shaking so badly though that he dropped the keys. Patrick bent down and picked them up.

"Are you alright Declan?" He asked obviously concerned.

Declan nodded and concentrated on unlocking the door, it was a difficult task suddenly. His fingers felt numb and cold and he could barely hang onto the keys. He finally managed to get the door open and wheeled inside. Patrick followed him into the house because he was worried to leave Declan alone.

Declan wanted to assure him that he was perfectly fine, but he suddenly wasn't so sure that he was. He'd thought he was feeling bad because he needed his medicine, but now he felt strange in a way he couldn't understand. His head was spinning and it was hard to breath. He clumsily slapped the wall until he flipped the light switch and illuminated the room.

"Declan I think we need to take you back to the hospital." Patrick stated as soon as he saw Declan in the light of the room. It was clear something was seriously wrong with him. His face was stark white except for his lips which were an alarming shade of purple/blue.

Declan nodded in agreement. He hated doctors but he knew by the way he was feeling that something was seriously wrong. His heart had started pounding in his chest and he kept feeling the terrifying sensation of utter stillness when his heart would skip beats without warning. He turned his chair to go back outside but was overwhelmed by a dizziness like he'd never felt before, it felt as if the entire room was tossing about violently like he was on a ship in a storm.

The last thing he saw before passing out was the floor coming up to meet him as he fell out of his chair.

A/N- Hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Thank you again for everyone who is reading this story. An extra big thank you to the people who leave feedback.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Declan!" Patrick shouted as he hurried over to where Declan was lying still in a crumpled ball on the floor.

He grabbed Declan's shoulder and turned him over, relief washing over him as he saw Declan's eyes flutter open. He let out a low moan and attempted to sit up, but wasn't able to do much more than lift his head up for a few seconds before it thumped back to the ground.

"I'm going to call 911, don't worry it's going to be ok." Patrick assured him. He kept one hand on Declan's shoulder and used the other to pull his cell phone out of his jean's pocket.

Declan's eyes suddenly opened wide and he reached up and grabbed onto Patrick's wrist with a surprising amount of strength for someone who was barely conscious.

"No, don't call 911, I don't want Charlotte to know. Please?" Declan begged.

Patrick shook his head. "Declan I don't think that's a good idea. Something is really wrong, you need to see a doctor, like right now."

Declan moaned again and tried once again to sit up. His face washed from an already scary pale white to an ashy gray which was even scarier. His lips were still an alarming shade of dark bluish purple and Patrick noticed that the skin under his fingernails was the same bruised color. "No ambulance. Please? Charlotte's under enough stress, it's not good for the baby." He murmured, his words slurring badly.

Sighing in frustration Patrick put his arms under Declan and picked him up off the ground. "Where're you takin me?" Declan mumbled.

"I'm taking you to the hospital Declan. I won't call Charlotte, don't worry." Patrick assured him as he carried Declan back outside to his truck. He struggled to open the passenger door with Declan in his arms, but managed to do it after a few seconds. He set Declan gently on the seat and hurried around to jump in behind the wheel.

"Don't take me to the hospital where Conrad is." Declan ordered, not even bothering to try and open his eyes this time when he spoke. "Take me to St. Mark's General. My cardiologist is there."

Patrick raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Declan. "You have a cardiologist? I thought you broke your back?"

Declan let out a small snort of derision. "Yeah Conrad screwed up a lot more than just my spine when he blew up his building." As he said this he clumsily pulled up his shirt to reveal a long nasty looking scar running up the center of his chest. It was obvious that the scar was a result of open heart surgery.

Patrick winced when he saw the scar and then stopped and really thought about what Declan had just said.

"Wait what do you mean when Conrad blew up his building? I thought a terrorist did that?" Patrick questioned.

Declan didn't answer and when Patrick looked over he saw that Declan had passed out again, his body rocking limply with the motion of the vehicle. "Declan? Declan can you hear me?"

The only answer Patrick got was a high pitched whistling sound as Declan suddenly started having trouble breathing. Patrick cursed loudly and flipped on his emergency flashers as he pushed the gas pedal to the ground and concentrated on getting to the hospital as quickly as possible.

He let out a shaking sigh of relief and pressed down on his truck's horn ten minutes later as he pulled up in front of the emergency room of St. Marks hospital. When no one immediately came out the doors, he jumped from his truck and once again pulled Declan into his arms and ran into the hospital. A pair of orderlies met him in the waiting room and took Declan from his arms, placing him on a stretcher and wheeling him quickly through a pair of automatic doors.

Patrick wanted to follow but was stopped by a nurse who began asking him a myriad of questions, most of which he didn't have the answer to. After the nurse was gone Patrick stood in the middle of the waiting room, unsure of what to do next. He finally pulled out his phone and called the only person he could think of.

"Hey um Nolan, it's Patrick. Listen I'm at the hospital with Declan. I gave him a ride home and he passed out. I wasn't sure who to call, he doesn't want Charlotte to know that he's in the hospital." Patrick explained quickly.

"Where are you?" Nolan asked, his voice strained.

"St. Mark's. He wanted me to bring him here." Patrick answered.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Nolan snapped and hung up before Patrick could reply.

Twelve minutes later Nolan hurried into the waiting room. Patrick jumped up from his chair and pulled Nolan into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry I didn't know who else to call. I would have called his brother, but I don't know his number or..." He stammered quickly.

"It's alright I called him. He'll be here as soon as his nanny gets there to stay with his son. Have the doctors said anything?" Nolan asked.

Patrick shook his head. Nolan hurried over to the information desk and began speaking with a nurse in low hushed tones. Patrick could tell he was frustrated by whatever the nurse was saying to him and after half a minute he stomped away from the desk and slumped into a chair. Patrick sat down beside him and took his hand. They'd only slept together a few times, but Patrick already had deep feelings for Nolan and it was obvious that Declan meant a lot to him.

"Thank you for bringing him here." Nolan whispered.

Patrick simply nodded and gave his hand another squeeze. "You care about him a lot don't you?"

Nolan nodded. "Besides Emily, Declan and Jack are the closest thing I have to family. Declan's like a little brother to me. It was bad enough when we almost lost him after the bombing, but I thought he was finally getting his life back and now something is wrong with him. It's just not fair."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Patrick comforted.

Soon after Jack arrived and after getting the details of what had happened and thanking both Patrick and Nolan he disappeared with a nurse to be with his brother.

The two men sat in silence for awhile, neither sure what to say or do. Finally Patrick cleared his throat. "Nolan Declan said something in the car on the way here. He said that Conrad was responsible for the bombing. I mean he was pretty out of it, but he seemed really sure. Could that be true? I mean why would Conrad blow up his own building?"

Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and wrinkled his forehead like he had a headache. He let out a frustrated sigh before meeting Patrick's eyes.

"He blew up his building to make himself look like a hero so that he'd be elected Governor. He was also trying to kill Jack by tricking him into going to Grayson Global. Declan unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Patrick shook his head and stood up so that he could pace back and forth in front of Nolan. "I just can't believe... I mean I know Victoria said Conrad was a bastard but this? Why isn't he in prison? And how can my mother possibly still be married to that man?" He ranted as he paced.

Nolan reached out and grabbed Patrick by the wrist and pulled him over so that he sat down once again. "Patrick there's a lot about your mother and the Grayson family that you don't know. But I need you to promise that whatever I tell you stays between us. There are a lot of people who would be hurt if what I'm about to tell you was revealed to the Graysons."

"I swear I won't tell anyone." Patrick promised.

Nolan closed his eyes and prayed that Emily wouldn't kill him for what he was about to do.

"Have you heard of David Clarke?" He began.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After Nolan finished telling Patrick the truth about the Graysons they sat side by side in silence. Nolan wanted to ask Patrick what he was thinking but he figured that he just needed a little time to absorb everything that he'd learned.

"I can't believe what an idiot I've been. I really thought I'd finally found a family and now I find out that my mother is married to and protecting the most evil man I've ever heard of. Not to mention all of the evil things she's done. What am I supposed to do now?" He asked.

Nolan shrugged and put a hand on Patrick's leg, giving it what he hoped was a comforting squeeze. "I don't know what to tell you. All I ask is that if you decide to cut your mother out of your life you just don't tell her why. It would put Jack and Declan in danger if the Graysons knew what I told you. It would put me in danger too."

"I swear I won't tell them anything." Patrick assured him quickly.

Nolan gave him a grateful smile and then looked down at the floor. He hadn't been entirely honest with Patrick. He hadn't told him that Emily was really Amanda. As far as Patrick knew he and Jack were working to take the Graysons down because of Amanda's death. If Patrick did decide to betray them then at least he wouldn't be able to mess up Emily's plans.

They lapsed into silence once again and both sat anxiously waiting for news on Declan. More than two hours passed before Jack walked back into the waiting room. His face was drawn tight and stark white, Patrick could tell instantly that whatever news he had wasn't going to be good.

"Jack how's Declan?" Nolan asked.

Jack rubbed a hand over his face, a hand that was shaking violently. "The uh- the stent that they put in is failing."

"So are they going to replace it? Does he need to have surgery again?" Nolan asked.

Jack shook his head and drew in a ragged breath, which sounded like he was covering up a sob. "His hearts been working too hard to make up for the malfunctioning stent. They can't fix it, he needs a heart transplant. But the doctor doesn't think Declan is going to get placed very high on the transplant list. He doesn't think they'll find a heart in time."

Jack sat down heavily in a chair and buried his head in his hands.

"Well that's not going to happen. I've got money Jack, I'll pay whatever it takes to get him a heart. He's going to be fine." Nolan insisted.

Jack wasn't able to cover up the sob that ripped out of his throat then. He shook his head and looked up at Patrick and Nolan with the most hopeless look Patrick had ever seen. "It doesn't work like that Nolan, money doesn't buy your way up the transplant list. They won't place him high on the list because of his spinal injury. His circulation is compromised because he can't stand up and the doctor thinks if he gets a transplant it will probably fail within a year or two. God what do I do? Charlotte's pregnant. How is she going to cope with this? Their baby isn't even going to remember Declan."

Nolan jumped to his feet and began pacing back and forth, his hands balled into fists. "This is all Conrad Graysons fault. He and Victoria did all of this. I'm going to make them pay." He snarled and swept out of the room, practically running. Jack didn't even look up as Nolan stomped away.

Patrick stood up and followed Nolan out of the hospital, but was unable to catch him before Nolan sped off in his convertible. As he watched the car speed away his mind warred with itself as he tried to decide what to do. The things Nolan had told him were horrible, but they also didn't seem like the Victoria he'd come to know. If Conrad really had done everything that Nolan claimed then wasn't it possible he had some sort of hold over Victoria. Conrad could have threatened and abused her into doing all of those evil things.

Having come to a decision Patrick hurried to his truck and drove straight to Grayson Manor.

"Patrick! I wasn't expecting to see you tonight." Victoria gushed as she ushered him into her living room. She sat down in her prized chair after hugging him tightly.

"So what brings you here so late?" She asked.

"Declan's in the hospital. I was giving him a ride home and he collapsed. He's dying Mother, his heart is failing." Patrick revealed.

Victoria sucked in a sharp breath of air. "Oh dear god. That poor boy. Oh my poor Charlotte, she's already going to lose her father and now Declan too?"

Patrick reached out and held Victoria's hand. "Listen tonight at the hospital Nolan told me some stuff that I need to speak with you about. Some terrible things about Conrad and about you."

"Of course Patrick you can talk to me about anything you know that." Victoria assured him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nolan sat down at his laptop and booted it up. After typing for a few minutes he fiddled with his speakers and then listened as Patrick's voice suddenly filled the room.

 _Some terrible things about Conrad and about you._ Patrick said to Victoria.

He was pleased to find that the bug he'd installed in Patrick's phone the night before was transmitting perfectly. Nolan listened intently as Patrick revealed every detail that he'd sworn so recently to Nolan to never divulge. Nolan's heart felt like it twisted in his chest as he listened to Patrick betray him. He'd had a feeling that this was exactly what was going to happen, but he'd still been hopeful that Patrick would surprise him.

He heard the click of a door opening and then Emily sat down beside him and took his hand. They both listened in silence as Patrick and Victoria talked. True to form Victoria managed to spin everything Nolan had revealed to make herself sound like a victim.

"I'm sorry he let you down." Emily whispered.

Nolan nodded. "Don't be. I fgured it was going to happen like this. I better call Jack."

His tried to sound nonchalant about it, but Emily could hear the hurting in his voice. She tightened her grip on his hand and hoped that he knew she was there for him.

Jack roused awake when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the hospital bed and saw that Declan was still asleep.

"Hello?" He asked after pulling his phone out of his jeans.

"Jack? It's Nolan. Patrick betrayed us just like we thought he would. He told Victoria everything." Nolan explained.

"Thanks for letting me know Nolan. I'm sorry about Patrick, I know you were hoping that he wouldn't do this." Jack comforted.

"Thanks Jack. Tell Declan to feel better." Nolan whispered and hung up.

Jack looked up to see that Declan had woken up and was staring at him.

"So am I dying?" Declan asked obviously joking.

"Actually you are." Jack answered.

A/N- Hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Thank you for reading and reviewing, you guys rock!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Declan used the button on his bed to sit himself up. "So Patrick bought it then?"

Jack nodded and gave his brother a smile. "He not only bought it, but he went straight to Victoria and told her everything. As far as the Graysons are concerned you are at death's door."

Declan smiled and looked around the room. "So any idea when I can get out of here?"

"The doctor Emily hired said that you could leave as soon as you were awake and he examined you once more. I gotta tell you little brother I know we all agreed to this plan but if you ever take those drugs Emily gave you again I will kick your ass. You really looked like you were about to die when I got here." Jack threatened, only half joking.

Declan laughed and scratched at the i.v. in his wrist. "Hey you were in on the plan from the beginning and you knew the drugs she gave me were going to drop my blood pressure for awhile. Plus you do know that kicking my ass is pretty pointless since I can't feel it right?"

Jack laughed and stood up. "Very funny. I'm going to get a cup of coffee." He tossed Declan his cellphone as he walked out of the room. "Call Charlotte, I promised her you'd call once you woke up so she'd know you're alright."

Declan nodded and waved Jack away as he dialed Charlotte's number.

"Hello?" Charlotte asked as soon as the phone rang, she'd obviously been waiting anxiously for the call.

"Hey Char it's me." He answered.

"Oh god Declan, I've been freaking out. Are you alright? Are you still at the hospital? What happened with Patrick? Did you know your wheelchair is still here? How did you get to the hospital without it?" The questions flew out of Charlotte so quickly that Declan could barely understand what she was saying.

"Whoa Char slow down. Take a breath. I'm fine, don't worry. The drugs wore off and I feel fine I promise. I'm still at the hospital, but I think they're going to let me go soon." He assured her.

"Well what about Patrick? What happened?" She pressed impatiently.

"He bought the whole thing and he went straight over to your mother's house to tell her everything. So as far as your parents and the rest of the world are concerned I'm dying of heart failure. You sure that you can handle all of this Charlotte? Most of this plan revolves around you."

Charlotte let out an annoyed groan. "Declan this whole thing was my idea remember? I know this is going to work. My father already thinks he's dying, if I get close to him again and cry on his shoulder about losing him and you, I know I can get him to confess." She stated sounding determined.

"I'm not saying it's a bad plan Charlotte. I think it's going to work perfectly, but I'm just worried about putting all this stress on you while you're pregnant. Are you sure you can deal with this right now?" Declan worried.

"Declan you have to stop worrying about me all the time. I'm not some fragile little girl who can't handle things. The baby and I are doing fine and we'll be doing even better once my parents are out of our lives and being punished for everything they've done." She lectured.

Declan sighed. "I know you're tough Charlotte. I just worry about you and the baby. You two are the most important things in my life. I love you so much."

"I love you too Dec. Okay but seriously you have to tell me how in the heck you got to the hospital without your wheelchair?" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I honestly don't remember a lot of getting to the hospital. I think Patrick carried me out to his truck. Those drugs were really strong I was pretty out of it. It was hard remembering to blurt out all of the stuff about your dad. Can you just bring my chair out to Jack's truck when we get home?" Declan requested.

A knock on the door interrupted their phone conversation and Declan's cardiologist Dr. Johnston stuck his head into the room.

"Hey Char the doctor is here so I have to go, but I'll see you soon and I love you." Declan rushed and hung up the phone before she could reply.

"So Mr. Porter how are you feeling?" The doctor asked as he hurried into the room.

"I feel fine." Declan assured him.

The doctor nodded as he took his stethoscope and used it to listen to Declan's heart, occasionally instructing Declan to breath deeply. Once he finished examining Declan he moved over to the ekg machine which was spitting out a steady stream of paper with Declan's heart function readings on it.

"So Declan I know that you weren't actually here for a real heart condition. Miss Thorne paid me very well to play my part and I'm fine with that. But I actually did find a little problem in your ekg readings." The doctor explained.

Declan's heart rate spiked with anxiety and both of them looked at the machine as the beeping increased.

"Is it serious?" Declan asked.

The doctor shook his head and looked down at the ekg readings once again. "I don't believe so no. It just seems that perhaps the stent isn't working quite as well as it should. Which honestly is very typical. Whenever a biological piece of the body is replaced with something mechanical, well the mechanical part just can't perform as well as the original part. The stent just isn't moving blood as quickly in and out of your heart as your artery did. It's making your heart work a little too hard. Like I said it isn't a major problem. If you hadn't come in today because of whatever it is you're doing with Miss Thorne we probably would never have discovered it."

"So I don't need to do anything? I can just ignore it?" Declan asked, obviously relieved.

"Well I wouldn't go that far. Now that we know there is a problem I'd like to try and fix it. The extra effort your heart is putting in isn't much, but it could cause problems for you as you get older. It won't be anything drastic though. I'd like to increase the dosage of the blood thinners that you're already taking. If your blood is thinner then it won't be so difficult for your heart to pump it through the stent." He assured Declan.

Declan nodded. "Okay that seems easy enough."

The doctor nodded. "Just remember that you need to be careful of injuries. I know we already talked about this before you left the hospital, but with the increased dosage you'll need to be even more cautious. With your blood thinned if you get cut you will bleed quickly and your blood won't clot the way it should. If you do find yourself injured and can't control the bleeding you need to get medical care immediately. You also cannot stop taking your medication abruptly. I'm hopeful that once your body has had more time to heal and adjust to the stent we can slowly wean you off of the blood thinners."

"Yeah I remember you explaining all this before. I've been being careful, although every time I nick myself when I shave it takes forever to quit bleeding." Declan muttered.

The doctor gave Declan a sad smile. "I'm sorry, it's one of the many downfalls of having open heart surgery. But at least placing the stent was successful, you were one lucky young man that you even survived long enough to have the surgery."

"I know I was lucky. Thanks again for saving my life." Declan answered.

The doctor nodded and pulled out a prescription pad and began scribbling. "All part of my job Declan. Alright you're free to go, get this filled and start on the new dosage tomorrow."

Declan smiled widely at the news that he could leave, he'd always hated hospitals, but ever since the explosion his hatred had grown to a whole new level. "Could you ask a nurse to bring a hospital wheelchair in for me? Mine got left at my house." He asked.

"Of course I'll let the nurses station know that you're ready to be discharged and that you need a wheelchair. It was good to see you Declan, but how about no more secret plots that involve you taking dangerous levels of medication." He joked as he left the room.

Declan let out a sigh of relief when he and Jack returned to the beach house and he was able to transfer out of the truck and back into his chair. Declan had hated his wheelchair at first, it had felt like a prison that he was trapped in. But lately it had begun to feel more like freedom, it was the only way he could freely get around by himself. His wheelchair gave him back his independence and he had now felt panicky whenever he couldn't reach it.

As soon as he was settled in his chair Charlotte sat down in his lap and kissed him deeply. They didn't stop until Jack cleared his throat loudly.

"So it's been a long night. I'm going home. Declan get some rest, no more taking drugs from Emily. Actually just don't take drugs in general." He joked and clapped a hand on Declan's shoulder and then gave Charlotte a pat on the back.

"Thanks for everything Jack." Declan called as Jack climbed into his truck.

"Are you feeling alright?" Charlotte asked as she clumsily stood up and followed Declan as he wheeled into the house.

"Yeah I feel fine actually. A little tired, but that's it. How are you feeling?" He asked as he transferred from his chair into the stair lift.

"Tired, and my feet are killing me. It's been a long day." She revealed and groaned as she began climbing the stairs beside Declan.

Declan reached out and grabbed Charlotte's wrist and pulled her into his lap. "Well how about a ride since your feet are killing you?" He suggested and kissed her neck. "And when we get in bed I'll give you a foot massage."

She sighed happily and snuggled back against his chest. "I will never say no to a foot rub. But if we're getting into bed I can think of a few other things I'd like to do to. Unless you're too tired that is."

"Charlotte I'm never too tired for that." He assured her.

A/N- Ok so I know it was mean letting you think Declan was dying, but hey at least I updated in a timely fashion. :) Thanks again for reading and reviewing!


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